CORE--DATA, MEASURES, SYNTHESIS FACILITY

数据、测量和综合核心将作为计划项目的智力中心，并将为五个组成部分项目的概念和方法集成提供主要场所。具体而言，核心的职能将包括：(1)促进项目领导人之间关于保健市场概念化的沟通和知识交流，包括市场定义和确定市场结构和安全网特征的措施；(2)提供共享信息和开发通用方法的场所；(3)处理数据库，构建将用于多个组成项目的医疗市场结构和安全网的实证测度；(4)建立一个关于卫生保健市场、市场结构和安全网的背景数据库；(5)撰写总结和综合项目研究成果的报告和文稿。确保核心目标实现的方法包括项目负责人会议；使用专门的支持人员，包括项目经理、计算机程序员和研究助理，来执行核心工作；并使用在医疗保健市场、管理式医疗和弱势群体方面具有专业知识的外部顾问，为组成项目的负责人提供建议，并帮助综合项目项目的工作。

The Data, Measures and Synthesis Core will serve as the intellectual center for the program project, and will provide the main locus for conceptual and methodological integration of the five component projects. Specifically, the functions of the core will include: (1) facilitating communication and intellectual exchange among the project leaders regarding the conceptualization of health care markets, including market definitions and measures for characterizing market structure and the safety net; (2) providing a locus for sharing information and developing common approaches to estimation problems; (3) processing data bases and constructing empirical measures of health care market structure and the safety net that will be used by more than one component project; (4) creating a library of contextual, market-level data on health care markets, market structure, and the safety net; and (5) producing reports and manuscripts that summarize and synthesize the findings of the program project. The methods used to make certain that the goals of the core are achieved will include meetings of the project leaders; use of dedicated support staff, including a project manager, computer programmer, and research assistant, to perform the work of the core; and use of external consultants with expertise in health care markets, managed care, and vulnerable populations to advise the component project leaders and help synthesize the work of the program project.