CORE--DATA, MEASURES, SYNTHESIS FACILITY

数据、测量和综合核心将作为方案项目的智力中心，并将为五个组成部分项目的概念和方法整合提供主要场所。具体地说，核心的职能将包括：(1)促进项目领导人之间就保健市场概念的沟通和智力交流，包括市场定义和描述市场结构和安全网特征的措施；(2)为共享信息和制定评估问题的共同办法提供场所；(3)处理数据库并建立保健市场结构和安全网的经验性措施，供一个以上的组成部分项目使用；(4)创建关于保健市场、市场结构和安全网的背景、市场一级的数据库；以及(5)制作总结和综合项目调查结果的报告和手稿。用于确保实现核心目标的方法将包括：召开项目负责人会议；使用专职支持人员，包括项目经理、计算机程序员和研究助理来执行核心项目的工作；使用在医疗保健市场、管理保健和弱势群体方面具有专业知识的外部顾问，为组成部分项目负责人提供建议，并帮助综合方案项目的工作。

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.