Planning Grant (Site Addition): Center for Health Organization Transformation

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

The Center for Health Organization Transformation (CHOT) seeks to conduct leading-edge research on the organization, integration, management, payment, technology, and systems engineering challenges confronting health care. This is important work as the management and transformation of health services has become one of the foremost domestic issues in the U.S. With health spending representing roughly 18 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, there are growing concerns about a range of health care issues related to the organization and payment for health care services. CHOT projects address these complex challenges as well as identify and exploit opportunities for innovation to improve the delivery of health care. The University of Washington CHOT site (CHOT -UW) expands the current CHOT site network by adding research expertise in areas not currently represented in the existing CHOT talent pool as well as increasing CHOT's presence in the west, particularly the Pacific Northwest. This expansion is important. Although, health care issues are national, there are nuances in geography, culture, state laws, and health concerns that affect the delivery of care. There is much to learn and share, particularly in an industry environment where the nature of health systems and alliances among providers are changing in response to economic pressures and recent legislation. Health care organizations in the Pacific Northwest have a long history of collaboration and willingness to learn from each other that falls right in line with the overall philosophy behind NSF's Industry/University Cooperative Research Center (I/UCRC) program. The purpose of the proposed CHOT-UW site is to use an interdisciplinary approach to enhance CHOT's capabilities in (1) health economics and financing (including payment reform, insurance benefits, cost transparency, vertical integration, and cost effectiveness, alternative payment incentive models, and integrated payment system models); (2) health systems engineering (including decision modeling, simulation modeling, continuous process improvement, Toyota LEAN, scheduling, and resource allocation); (3) organization and integration of health systems (including physician integration, accountable care organization and medical home design, and integrated delivery systems), (4) and health technology adoption and diffusion (including telehealth, health information exchange and consumer health informatics). These areas were identified by the CHOT- UW's site's potential industry partners as crucial to the success of their organizations as they grapple with extensive changes in the access, cost, and quality of health care delivery. Each of the CHOT- UW's site research areas is populated with UW experts with extensive experience in doing applied research within health systems. Collectively, the team of experts provide breath not only in terms of subject matter expertise, but also in research methodologies. Strong graduate and undergraduate will support the faculty in this endeavor. There is significant minority and gender diversity among the potential research faculty and students that will be active participants in the new UW CHOT site. This new activity will greatly enhance UW's masters and doctoral level education, research, and links to the practice community.