Keywords

budgeting, decision analysis, decision science, decision support systems, financial management, public health finance, quality

 

Authors

  1. Honore, Peggy A. DHA
  2. Fos, Peter J. PhD, MPH
  3. Smith, Torney MS
  4. Riley, Michael BA
  5. Kramarz, Kim BA

Abstract

The allocation of resources for public health programming is a complicated and daunting responsibility. Financial decision-making processes within public health agencies are especially difficult when not supported with techniques for prioritizing and ranking alternatives. This article presents a case study of a decision analysis software model that was applied to the process of identifying funding priorities for public health services in the Spokane Regional Health District. Results on the use of this decision support system provide insights into how decision science models, which have been used for decades in business and industry, can be successfully applied to public health budgeting as a means of strengthening agency financial management processes.