Areas of Expertise


Altarum Institute's more than 60 years of experience in research, consulting, and health care means that we can offer a wealth of expertise in a diverse range of topics.

Behavioral Health

Altarum Institute specializes in behavioral health policy analysis, health services research and evaluation, and technical assistance in all aspects of behavioral health. Altarum’s behavioral health team advances systems of care that promote empowerment and choice, foster resilience, and facilitate mental health and addiction recovery for individuals, families, and communities. We ensure these efforts are based on promising, recovery-oriented, and culturally competent practices. We offer expert support services for all aspects of behavioral health, including prevention, treatment, and recovery. We work with federal, state, and local governments, as well as national and community-based organizations to help build a system of care that focuses on recovery, active involvement of consumers and their families, and multiple services to best meet individual needs. Learn more.

Community Health

Altarum Institute believes that engaging all stakeholders in communities is essential for improving the nation’s health. The characteristics of a community — formal and informal networks and support systems; norms and cultural nuances; racial, ethnic, sexual, gender, geographic, and socioeconomic characteristics; and institutions, thought leaders, and belief systems — are considered as we develop and implement frameworks for guiding, supporting, and evaluating community and systems change. We help communities assess problems, needs, strengths, and resources, and design, choose, and adapt interventions to improve health outcomes.

Food Assistance and Nutrition

For more than 25 years, Altarum Institute has focused on improving food assistance and nutrition programs through policy analysis and development, evaluation research, and technical assistance. Our expert staff combines hands-on field experience in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children agencies with extensive experience in analyzing and supporting all aspects of WIC program operations, including WIC vendor management systems, client service delivery systems, financial management, federal reporting, and nutrition education. Altarum also works extensively with federal, state, and local programs, particularly those that administer food assistance, health, social service, and nutrition education programs directed toward low-income households. Learn more.

Geographic Information Systems and Geospatial Analysis

Altarum Institute’s geographic information system (GIS) technology is vital to our work in health care assessment and resource planning and is frequently applied to our efforts to improve health care for military members and veterans as well as to help develop emergency preparedness strategies for many clients. Altarum routinely uses GIS technology to carry out data and geospatial analysis and mapping for our health care clients. It enables us to analyze and display spatial data graphically in an easily understood and shared format. This information helps users to visualize, understand, and interpret data in ways that reveal relationships, patterns, and trends. Our geospatial analysis expertise extends beyond display capabilities, including the development and automation of drive-time estimation and drive-time-based regions. Altarum enhances the values of existing business information data and systems by integrating them with GIS technologies and information. We have also developed Web-based applications integrating ESRI ArcGIS server and desktop technologies with business intelligence software.

Health Disparities and Health Equity

Health inequities are a result of systemic and unequal distribution of the social, economic, and environmental conditions necessary for good health. Altarum Institute has an extensive and longstanding commitment to eliminating health disparities. We recognize that these disparities arise from complex interactions among biological, social, cultural, economic, environmental, and behavioral factors or social determinants of health. Understanding that we cannot narrowly define the solutions, Altarum recognizes that health equity will be achieved only through an approach grounded in public and political will for change, combined with cross-system collaboration. Altarum’s approach focuses addressing four key elements:

  • The Population: Who is experiencing the health inequities?
  • The Social Determinants: How do poverty, culture, and the environment affect health?
  • The Health Issue: How do these inequities manifest in health outcomes?
  • Policy, Programs, and Systems Change: What should be done?

Learn more.

Health Information Technology

For more than 20 years Altarum Institute has worked with federal, state, local, and private clients to develop and promote best practices in the application of information technology to health and health care. Applying systems research principles and analytical objectivity, Altarum works to increase access to health information, improve the organization and usability of health information, and develop new knowledge from health information. We work to achieve these goals by addressing all aspects of information technology —policy and planning efforts, system design and development, information exchange, and the management and evaluation of specific information technology and strategies.

HIV/AIDS

Altarum Institute works to create, guide, and enhance prevention, treatment, and care solutions for national, regional, and local systems that impact communities affected by HIV/AIDS. Recognizing the ongoing need for public health programs and leadership that address prevention, testing, primary medical care, and treatment, Altarum has worked with many federal agencies and national organizations to strategically plan, develop, implement, and evaluate programs that serve people at risk for and living with HIV/AIDS. Our work is based on a systems approach whereby effective programs deliver prevention, care, treatment, and hope; public and private agencies make the best use of scarce resources to reach those most in need; and address cultural, social, and economic barriers.

Learn more.

Lean Six Sigma

Altarum Institute is demonstrating that Lean Six Sigma principles in health care, when applied rigorously and throughout an entire organization, have a positive impact on productivity, cost, quality, and timely delivery of services. The Altarum LSS team helps clients ensure rapid success on projects with wide buy-in by the people who do the work daily, from identification through sustainment. We teach clients to use our materials and forms internally to ensure success after we leave, and help them become self-sufficient as quickly as possible. We have a well-defined and effective process, resulting in Altarum certification. Our team includes recognized experts and leaders from industry, with in-depth experience in the health care applications of LSS, including Lean layout. Altarum LSS coaches have demonstrated success through the measurable improvements we have brought to our clients and the multiple Shingo Prize awards for Lean efforts awarded to a number of our U.S. government clients.

Military and Veterans Health

Altarum Institute offers a wealth of experience in military and veterans health care. We have worked for decades to help our military clients plan, manage, and forecast health care services and beneficiary populations. Our planning and forecasting models have become the standard tools that some military clients use to evaluate their health care system needs. Altarum’s staff of specialists have expertise in large government and military health care providers. Clients have included the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Health Affairs (specifically the TRICARE Management Activity); the Office of the Navy Surgeon General, Bureau of Medicine and Surgery; the Office of U.S. Air Force Surgeon General, Air Force Medical Service, the National Center for Veterans Analysis and Statistics; and the Veteran Health Administration, Chief Business Office.

Obesity

Altarum Institute works with government, corporate, clinical, and community-based clients to address socio-ecological conditions that contribute to the emerging childhood obesity epidemic. Altarum has invested $2.5 million to support our Childhood Obesity Prevention Mission Project. The project, part of the Altarum Institute Mission Projects Initiative, was undertaken in collaboration with community, government, corporate, and clinical partners to demonstrate system-level changes to reduce childhood obesity.

Survey Research and Services

Altarum Institute is one of the leading survey providers in the country, interviewing over 1 million health care beneficiaries each year, working with hundreds of public, private, and academic client organizations. Altarum is experienced with all modes of data collection and brings together relevant specialties, including survey methodologists; survey operations specialists; contract, project management, and budget experts; statisticians; and programming, data analysis, and information technology staff members. Altarum provides a complete range of survey services, from study design, sample construction, and field data collection operations, to extensive and sophisticated analysis and reporting, including highly interactive presentations such as dashboards and proprietary visualizations of survey data. Our data collection and field services facilities include CATI telephone interviewing, high-volume automated mailing, and secure Web and IVR data collection.The overall survey design is created in close cooperation with client organizations and subject matter experts to ensure that the design fulfills the underlying research goals while incorporating time and resources requirements. We can implement a full range of research options, including formative and qualitative research, as well as the most sophisticated quantitative designs.

Women, Children, and Adolescents

With proven policy analysis, technical assistance, program evaluation, and training credentials, Altarum Institute works to ensure that federal, state, and local policymakers and providers collaborate and move toward systems of care that improve health outcomes for women, children, and adolescents. Our services include analyzing health policy for state and local governments; conducting program evaluation and planning; providing technical assistance and training; conducting needs and capacity assessments; facilitating strategic planning and policy academies; planning and conducting in-person and Web-based national, regional, and statewide meetings; and gathering and analyzing maternal and child health data.