Lead Survey Methodologist
B.A., behavioral economics, M.P.H., health management policy, University of Michigan
Thomas Wilkinson leads Altarum Institute’s Survey Research Group and is responsible for evolving the Institute’s survey research capabilities and for providing survey methodology support to Institute researchers and external clients. His current work focuses on providing survey methodology consultation for Altarum’s major survey projects conducted on behalf of the Department of Defense Health Program Assessment and Evaluation program. These survey programs include the TRICARE Outpatient Satisfaction Survey (TROSS) and the Survey of Ill and Injured Service Members Post-Operational Deployment. The TROSS program is one of the largest users of the Clinician and Group Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (CAHPS) questionnaire. Mr. Wilkinson was instrumental in the original development and pilot testing of this CAHPS questionnaire. He is also contributing to the survey research components of several other active Altarum projects, including two studies for the Texas Medicaid system.
Prior to joining Altarum, Mr. Wilkinson founded and developed DataStat, the nationally known health survey research organization. During his 20 years of experience with DataStat, he directed survey projects for such clients as Harvard Medical School, the RAND Corporation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, numerous units of the National Institutes of Health, the Battelle Memorial Institute, Ingenix, the National Association of Community Health Centers, the California Public Health Institute, the Pacific Business Group on Health, the New England Medical Center, and numerous State agencies and nonprofit foundations. While at DataStat, Mr. Wilkinson collaborated with the researchers of the original Picker Institute to create some of the first patient satisfaction measurement surveys. He also directed several pilot studies at DataStat contributing to the creation of the current suite of CAHPS survey instruments.
Prior to founding DataStat, Mr. Wilkinson spent several years at the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research. He is an experienced software developer, having developed the initial Quality Assurance System software for the College of American Pathologists. He also created the first survival analysis procedure for SPSS during his employment there.
Mr. Wilkinson obtained a bachelor’s degree in behavioral economics from the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and did graduate work at the university in sociology. He also holds a master’s degree in public health from the University of Michigan School of Public Health and has completed all his course work for a doctorate in health policy there.
Areas of Expertise
Technical Assistance