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Health Services Research and Health Policy
Can clients enhance their health care systems’ value, patient care experiences and outcomes, and health equity while reducing costs? Westat’s expertise in innovative health care delivery models and value-based care delivers answers, contributing to both health care providers and patients.
Overview
Westat focuses on Medicare and Medicaid payment and delivery models, health IT and exchange, quality of care measurement and reporting, patient experience and patient safety, long-term care and aging, and maternal and child health. We incorporate both qualitative and quantitative methods, including in-depth interviews, focus groups, and case study approaches as well as data analytics based on claims, electronic health records (EHRs), surveys, and public health and state data. Our research supports the entire lifecycle—from program design, measure development, data collection and analysis, technical assistance, implementation, and monitoring to learning collaboratives, knowledge dissemination, program evaluation, and policy analysis. Our goal is to inform ways to improve the individual care experience, increase the value that the health care system delivers, enhance population health and equity, and reduce costs.
Our Expertise
Health Informatics
Westat has physician informaticians, biostatisticians, and health services researchers with expertise in the development of health IT standards and data models that inform electronic health record (EHR) adoption, interoperability and exchange, and evaluation and implementation research. Westat’s capabilities address a wide range of core health technologies, including clinical data repositories, mobile health, telemedicine, and clinical decision support (CDS). Our projects have evaluated the costs and performance of health information exchanges; analyzed health IT-related adverse events; examined consumer use of health IT, including patient-generated health data; and conducted training and technical assistance projects for various clients.
Innovative Health Care Delivery
Westat offers expertise in innovative health care delivery models and value-based care intended to improve the quality of care and reduce costs. We conduct evaluations of alternative payment models in the areas of maternal and child health, accountable care, opioid use disorder, and prescription drugs. In addition, we provide monitoring and compliance services in support of innovative health care delivery models and value-based care programs focusing on primary care and kidney disease, and lead learning collaboratives to share best practices and innovations among various provider types.
Patient Safety and Experience
Westat conducts innovative research on patient safety and patients’ experiences with health care, which are both fundamental to ensuring the quality of care. We have developed and administered multimode surveys of provider and staff perceptions of patient safety culture, workforce safety, and diagnostic safety and patient experience surveys for various health care settings. Our research has included environmental scans, in-depth interviews, and focus groups with providers, staff, and patients. We link patient safety and patient experience data to other quality measures, conduct psychometric analysis and complex statistical modeling, produce benchmarking and feedback reports, and develop infographics and dashboards of results. We develop resources and promote and disseminate research findings and tools that health care organizations and researchers can use to improve patient safety and patient experience.
Quality Measurement
Westat has a team of highly experienced quality measurement scientists, including health services researchers, clinicians, policy and regulatory experts, statisticians, data analysts, survey methodologists, and psychometricians. We use innovative, evidence-based, and patient-centered approaches to span all phases of the quality measurement lifecycle, ranging from measure conceptualization through development, specification, testing, implementation, endorsement, public reporting, and analysis. We are experienced in developing and analyzing quality measures (e.g., those derived from surveys, claims, and EHRs) related to health care quality, safety, and experience of care from the perspectives of patients, caregivers, and providers.
Experts
Meet the Team
Projects
Keep Reading
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Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
What is the most complete source of data on the use and costs of health care for Americans? -
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
How can patient and provider surveys improve health care? -
National Center for Health Statistics
What are the national patterns of health care delivery in hospital-based settings?
Insights
Deep Dive with Our Experts
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Perspective
Post-Pandemic Health Care Challenge: Nurse ShortageJune 2023
The health care workforce—physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals—has experienced cyclical shortages in the U.S. over many decades. Short-staffed facilities increase the workload of existing…
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Perspective
Early Psychosis: Creating an Intervention Network for Better TreatmentsOctober 2019
“Psychosis” refers to conditions that affect the mind so that there is some loss of contact with reality. According to the National Institute of Mental…
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Expert Interview
Circles of Reflection Toolkit: Improving Education for Native StudentsSeptember 2023
For decades, Native students have faced significant opportunity gaps that impede their academic achievement and trajectories. To close these gaps, the Native Education Collaborative, supported…