HealthStat: Wyoming Health Department Shows How Performance Data Drove a Colorectal‑screening Change and Informs Budget Choices
October 29, 2025 | Appropriations, Joint & Standing, Committees, Legislative, Wyoming
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The Wyoming Department of Health told the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee on Oct. 28 that HealthStat, the agency’s internal performance‑management system, is now the department’s primary tool for tracking program purpose, costs, outputs and outcomes across aging, behavioral health, Medicaid and public health programs.
Director Stefan Johansson described HealthStat as a process that asks programs to ‘‘figure out what counts, count it, and then be accountable’’ — a sequence the department uses to compare programs, identify trends and surface issues policymakers should consider. The legislature codified the requirement that the department send internal performance reports to appropriate committees (statutory citation provided in the briefing materials).
HealthStat is structured as two items per program: a one‑page snapshot (program description, three years of cost and people served, funding mix) and a performance report (concise core purpose, up to five high‑level outcome measures, and output/efficiency figures). Johansson said the program teams present their HealthStat reports at regular leadership meetings; the approach is intended to create a common language for program evaluation across a large agency.
Examples presented to the committee
- Aging (Wyoming Home Services): Snapshot shows roughly 1,500 people served annually; core purpose is to prevent or delay premature institutionalization. Measures include the percent of participants with activity‑of‑daily‑living (ADL) needs and wait‑list size; the committee was shown how the program’s profile supports budget and eligibility discussions.
- Behavioral health: The department summarized its behavioral health redesign (effective July 1, 2024), which refocused community funding on higher‑need populations (acute psychiatric events, criminal‑justice‑involved clients, high‑needs children/families). HealthStat metrics tracked access measures (days to first outpatient contact) and functional improvement measures as the redesign was implemented.
- Medicaid and long‑term care: HealthCare Financing presented a single‑page Medicaid snapshot (claims totals, average monthly enrollment and per‑member‑per‑month tracking) and metrics for long‑term care outcomes such as emergency department visit rates for Community Choices Waiver members. Staff said the Medicaid division also maintains deeper dashboards and county‑level reports.
- Public health — colorectal screening policy change: HealthStat highlighted falling colorectal screening rates and age trends. The department used those data to back a statutory change that lowered the program’s screening age from 50 to 45; the change required no additional appropriation and is expected to increase screening coverage in future reports.
What this means for the committee
Johansson told members the HealthStat binder is intended as a reference and a decision‑support tool for the governor and legislature; it consolidates program snapshots and performance reports the department already produces. The department also acknowledged limitations: some functions (for example, all 24/7 facility performance packages and some vital‑records work) are still being integrated, and several performance measures may lag because the underlying administrative data require reconciliation.
Provenance: HealthStat presentation began at 01:26:09 and continued through the lunch recess; specific program examples include Wyoming Home Services (aging), behavioral health redesign, Medicaid financial monitoring and the colorectal screening policy change.
Director Stefan Johansson described HealthStat as a process that asks programs to ‘‘figure out what counts, count it, and then be accountable’’ — a sequence the department uses to compare programs, identify trends and surface issues policymakers should consider. The legislature codified the requirement that the department send internal performance reports to appropriate committees (statutory citation provided in the briefing materials).
HealthStat is structured as two items per program: a one‑page snapshot (program description, three years of cost and people served, funding mix) and a performance report (concise core purpose, up to five high‑level outcome measures, and output/efficiency figures). Johansson said the program teams present their HealthStat reports at regular leadership meetings; the approach is intended to create a common language for program evaluation across a large agency.
Examples presented to the committee
- Aging (Wyoming Home Services): Snapshot shows roughly 1,500 people served annually; core purpose is to prevent or delay premature institutionalization. Measures include the percent of participants with activity‑of‑daily‑living (ADL) needs and wait‑list size; the committee was shown how the program’s profile supports budget and eligibility discussions.
- Behavioral health: The department summarized its behavioral health redesign (effective July 1, 2024), which refocused community funding on higher‑need populations (acute psychiatric events, criminal‑justice‑involved clients, high‑needs children/families). HealthStat metrics tracked access measures (days to first outpatient contact) and functional improvement measures as the redesign was implemented.
- Medicaid and long‑term care: HealthCare Financing presented a single‑page Medicaid snapshot (claims totals, average monthly enrollment and per‑member‑per‑month tracking) and metrics for long‑term care outcomes such as emergency department visit rates for Community Choices Waiver members. Staff said the Medicaid division also maintains deeper dashboards and county‑level reports.
- Public health — colorectal screening policy change: HealthStat highlighted falling colorectal screening rates and age trends. The department used those data to back a statutory change that lowered the program’s screening age from 50 to 45; the change required no additional appropriation and is expected to increase screening coverage in future reports.
What this means for the committee
Johansson told members the HealthStat binder is intended as a reference and a decision‑support tool for the governor and legislature; it consolidates program snapshots and performance reports the department already produces. The department also acknowledged limitations: some functions (for example, all 24/7 facility performance packages and some vital‑records work) are still being integrated, and several performance measures may lag because the underlying administrative data require reconciliation.
Provenance: HealthStat presentation began at 01:26:09 and continued through the lunch recess; specific program examples include Wyoming Home Services (aging), behavioral health redesign, Medicaid financial monitoring and the colorectal screening policy change.
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