Phase II IUCRC University of Washington Site Addition: Center for Health Organization Transformation (CHOT)

University Of Washington, Seattle WA

Investigators

Abstract

The University of Washington Departments of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Health Services is a university site member of the Center for Health Organization Transformation (CHOT). The mission of CHOT is to advance the knowledge and practice of transformational strategies in evidence-based management and clinical practice. CHOT conducts cooperative research among universities, health systems and other health-related industries to advance and link system design and technologies in innovative research to advance healthcare. The UW site (CHOT-UW) focuses on research to improve the integration of technology and healthcare delivery; specifically, CHOT-UW works to advance the application of telehealth, system analytics and risk modeling, and healthcare operational innovations. The CHOT-UW research team is multidisciplinary and collaborates across the University. CHOT-UW industry partners represent a collaboration that will impact healthcare delivery throughout the Pacific Northwest as well as nationally. CHOT-UW expands CHOT?s existing research capacity, increases its geographic presence in the West and broadens the technology presence on the IAB. In addition, CHOT-UW provides enhanced educational opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students to participate in an applied research program. CHOT and CHOT-UW work together to make technological breakthroughs and advances in the field of healthcare. The University of Washington Departments of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Health Services proposes to join the Center for Health Organization Transformation (CHOT) as a university site (CHOT-UW). CHOT-UW?s the research focus is at the integration of technology and healthcare delivery. As systems engineering principles move past the early-adopter stage in the healthcare sector, the research agenda needs to shift toward a more interdisciplinary approach?one that incorporates both the human and economic factors associated with system redesign, in a way that fully supports the goals of (1) improving patient experience of care (including quality and satisfaction); (2) improving population health; and (3) reducing the per capita cost of healthcare. Recent US health care reform efforts attempt to address these systemic issues. However, to further achieve health system improvements, it is important to understand the complex systems that affect access to and coordination of care from an interdisciplinary approach. The core research team from engineering and health services will be supplemented with faculty expertise in informatics and primary-care technology and public health analytics. This team brings a breadth of theoretical as well as applied knowledge and are prepared to deliver implementable research findings that result in efficient, high-quality, patient-centered care while taking a technically-informed approach to inform the development of decision-support, feedback and process re-engineering mechanisms.