Asking useful questions: Correctly framing the questions or
research hypotheses ensures that findings will really address the
right issue. We work with our customers to develop meaningful
questions -- questions whose answers will lead to better management
decisions or provide convincing evidence of program
effectiveness.
Finding the best data: We invest in learning about the
potential data sources for each project. In health care organizations,
we talk with managers (data users) and data systems and program staff
(data producers) to discover the strengths and limitations of each
data source. We carefully assess its suitability for the project. We
explore the feasibility of linking data across sources to produce an
integrated research data base.
Selecting appropriate research methods: We are careful and
capable users of the measurement, statistical, and econometric
research methods needed to assess health care program performance. We
select research methods appropriate to the problem -- simple
approaches for simple problems, advanced methods when needed to deal
appropriately with more complicated situations. We often employ
multiple regression methods and econometric models to control for the
diverse factors that can affect health care costs and
outcomes.
Accounting for behavioral responses: Getting the right answers
in health care requires knowing how patients and providers respond to
program incentives. We are skilled at identifying the sources of
economic incentives and accounting for behavioral responses in
predicting costs and outcomes. The behavioral models we develop can
supplement and support traditional analysis to provide better
predictions of costs and effects of new medical care programs.
Making research accessible to decision makers: We recognize
that research is valuable only when it helps managers or policy makers
make better decisions. We structure research projects and products so
they will be most useful for decision makers. Empirical results may be
augmented with decision analysis or simulation-based forecasts to help
managers make the best decisions with limited information. Our
objective is to see our research make a real difference in improved
health care financing and delivery systems
