Altarum is a

nonprofit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

research and consulting organization that serves

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

health insurers, health foundations, and other nonprofit clients that focus on health and health care. Altarum traces its history back to 1946 as Willow Run Laboratory in

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

. In 1972, Willow Run became the

Environmental Research Institute of Michigan The Environmental Research Institute of Michigan (ERIM) was a research institute at Ann Arbor, Michigan, founded in 1972. The institute contributed to the development of remote sensing, radar, and holography. ERIM grew out of a military and envir ...

(ERIM). In 2001, ERIM acquired Vector Research, Inc., a health care information system company, and changed its name to Altarum. In 2009, Altarum acquired KAI Research, Inc., adding to its portfolio clinical research for the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, academic institutions, and the National Institutes of Health. In 2011, Altarum acquired Palladian Partners, a Maryland-based science, medical, and public health communications firm that serves government agencies and private companies. Altarum expanded its work into advanced data analytics and value-based payment in 2017 by integrating the Health Care Incentives Improvement Institute into its operations.

Research

Altarum conducts research related to vulnerable and publicly insured populations. In 2018, Altarum released a report funded by the Kellogg Foundation on the economic benefits of eliminating racial disparities. It also estimated the economic cost of the opioid crisis to have reached $1 trillion from 2001 through 2017. Altarum also analyzes health sector spending, prices and employment.

Health IT

In 2010 with funding from a federal grant, Altarum established the Michigan Center for Effective IT Adoption to provide consulting and support to thousands of physicians in Michigan seeking to integrate use of electronic health records systems into their practices. With funding from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Altarum developed an integrated care model to enable primary care physicians to conduct oral health screenings for children, and to refer them to dentists to ensure they receive preventive dental care.

References

{{authority control Medical and health organizations based in Michigan Research institutes in Michigan Healthcare in Michigan Companies based in Ann Arbor, Michigan Research institutes established in 1946 1946 establishments in Michigan Medical research institutes in the United States