ANN ARBOR, Mich.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Altarum Institutes Center for Sustainable Health Spending has been awarded a $400,000 implementation grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) to create an analytical structure to demonstrate the value of investments in primary prevention to health outcomes and health care costs. The goal of this work is to develop an economic-analysis tool to assess the impact of nonclinical primary-prevention initiatives on reducing overall health care costs.

We are honored to receive this fifteen-month grant, and are very excited to continue our partnership with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation on what will be extremely challenging research, with an enduring impact on how we assess and communicate the value of primary prevention, said Dr. George Miller, principal investigator and Altarum Institute Fellow.

The analysis will be guided by a national advisory panel that brings together some of the nations leading experts in public health, workplace wellness, and community leaders devoted to inspiring the growth of a healthier population, e.g., David Chokshi, Marthe Gold, Michael OGrady, Steven Teutsch, and Steven Woolf.

The Center for Sustainable Health Spending has repeatedly demonstrated their capability to initiate the difficult work required to create an economic tool to help us understand the link between community level primary prevention and health care costs, said Pamela G. Russo, senior program officer for RWJF. Developing a practical analytical structure that incorporates input from a wide array of primary prevention stakeholders allows us to better understand the value of prevention investments, and is critical in assessing the role prevention efforts can play in controlling national health care spending.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation focuses on the pressing health and health care issues facing our country. As the nations largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care, the Foundation works with a diverse group of organizations and individuals to identify solutions and achieve comprehensive, measurable, and timely change. For more than 40 years the Foundation has brought experience, commitment, and a rigorous, balanced approach to the problems that affect the health and health care of those it serves. When it comes to helping Americans lead healthier lives and get the care they need, the Foundation expects to make a difference in your lifetime. For more information, visit http://www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitterat http://www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at http://www.rwjf.org/facebook.

Altarum Institute integrates objective research and client-centered consulting skills to deliver comprehensive, systems-based solutions that improve health and health care. Altarum employs more than 400 individuals and is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Mich., with additional offices in the Washington, D.C., area; Atlanta, Ga.; Portland, Maine; and San Antonio, Texas.

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Altarum Institute to Create Analytical Structure Linking Prevention to Health Care Costs