Management issues in the organization and delivery of family planning services.

Statewide family planning programs have been developed primarily in the Southeast and in a few other States of the nation. They are managed by State public health agencies with a few exceptions. This paper presents issues which are of importance to persons and agencies interested in developing a statewide family planning program; namely State support, allocation of funds, setting goals based on impact rather than efficiency of services, secondary sources of funding, and patient data systems. Arguments for a statewide program include the maximum use of available resources (for example, title V maternal and child health funds), the opportunity to distribute resources equitably throughout the State, the development of a statewide third-party reimbursement system, the opportunity to develop evaluation mechanisms, support for starting a system of fee collection, and the use of a statewide patient data system. Arguments against a State program include some loss of local control of a project, possible organizational battles within State agencies, State political domination of program policy, and a possible shift of funding away from existing strong projects. In the early 1970s, development of statewide systems was coupled with a rapid increase of funding when broad coverage of services and accessibility were key factors. At the present, categorical funding is no longer increasing, and efficiency and maximization of resources are becoming more important.