Research Findings

Data Management

Program Information Management System (PIMS)

• Overview
• National Data Collection

A primary strength of the Healthy Families America (HFA) home visiting model is its adaptability to the unique demographics of local communities.   While all HFA sites and states are required to meet the standards for HFA accreditation, they are encouraged to choose specific outcome measures and other data tracking priorities based on the needs of their local communities and the requests of their funders.    As with most other national social service programs enabling local adaptability, states likewise are encouraged to choose their own data management system in support of their program monitoring and reporting requirements.  States typically choose between the Program Management Information System (PIMS) developed by PCA America, or a custom-developed system.

PIMS is a common choice for smaller state systems and independent sites, because it provides sites with data tracking tools aligning with the core requirements for HFA affiliation, a flexible custom reporting tool, and is available at under $1,000 per year.

States with greater resources or more specific needs often choose to develop a custom system.  Some states develop this as a standalone system, while states offering Healthy Families as part of a continuum of social services sometimes choose to integrate Healthy Families data tracking with other program and participant data tracking within a single data management system.

For consultation on choosing or developing a data management system that best meets your needs, contact Rob Reid, the Database Coordinator at Healthy Families, at 312-663-3520 x865 or rreid@preventchildabuse.org.  You may also want to directly contact developers who have worked on data management projects with individual HFA states:

• Datatude, Inc. has worked with Healthy Families sites since 1996 to provide the most complete database solution for: case management, evaluation, accreditation and reporting. Focusing on multi-site systems, in 2004, our database work became web based allowing for real time reporting and immediate access to all data entered. In 2010, Datatude, Inc. launched FamilyWise, to offer this same advanced technology to single sites in an affordable way.