News

The Center for Healthcare Research and Transformation (CHRT) and Public Sector Consultants (PSC), two leading organizations in health policy, are partnering to offer organizations in Michigan a new option for addressing complex policy challenges and developing innovative, actionable solutions.

Through a strategic collaboration, CHRT and PSC will combine talents to bring a superior set of skills and expertise to large-scale projects and initiatives. Michigan-based organizations interested in moving past the status quo and improving the lives of residents through informed, strategic policy development or skilled program management will benefit greatly from the collaboration. Together, CHRT and PSC will offer a powerhouse of public policy expertise and insight.

CHRT and PSC begin their new collaboration with two contracts awarded by the Michigan Health Endowment Fund (MHEF) to assess how well their grants in two focus areas—behavioral health and healthy aging—are aligning and accomplishing the MHEF’s overall strategic goals.

“Already we have seen how our combined capacity allows us to take on large projects that will offer tremendous insight into efforts to improve the health of Michigan residents in these two areas,” says Marianne Udow-Phillips, CHRT’s Executive Director.

Peter Pratt, PSC’s President, elaborated. “We have known each other’s work for years. As we talked more, we realized how similar our approaches to health policy were, especially when it comes to high quality, understandable research and evaluation. This exciting partnership will allow us to do much more of this important work.”

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About Our Organizations
Founded in 2007, CHRT is an independent 501(c)(3) organization at the University of Michigan. CHRT’s experts work with decision makers to improve population health as well as healthcare access and quality by transforming healthcare research and evidence into actionable policy approaches. CHRT’s affiliation with the University of Michigan affords access to a wide array of subject matter and clinical experts.

Established in 1979, PSC is committed to providing objective research and sound solutions on a broad range of issues to the public and private sectors. The firm’s health practice area delivers top-quality research, facilitation, program evaluation, and other services to a wide variety of organizations across the state.

The Services We Offer
Both organizations are well known for bringing rigor and high quality to their work, which includes in-depth policy analysis, survey research, skilled facilitation, program evaluation, and program management. Staff at each organization maintain content expertise in a range of health policy issues and are experienced in working with clients to identify and develop solutions to complex challenges.

This strategic collaboration will allow CHRT and PSC to build on and expand their existing capacity and services in program evaluation, survey research, program management, and stakeholder facilitation:

• Program Evaluation. CHRT and PSC each provide clients with valuable information that can drive program management and improvement. The organizations work collaboratively with stakeholders to develop metrics, collect and analyze data, and interpret and report key findings. Combining the strengths of CHRT and PSC will allow for evaluation of larger-scale projects.
• Program Management. Together, PSC and CHRT bring a wealth of content knowledge and program management expertise that can bolster large-scale, health-based programs across Michigan. CHRT currently manages and provides staffing for the Washtenaw Health Initiative, which serves as the backbone organization for one of Michigan’s State Innovation Model (SIM) community health innovation regions. Additionally, CHRT hosts the Michigan Primary Care Transformation Project. PSC has formed and managed several initiatives and nonprofit organizations, including Michigan Saves, the Great Lakes Fishery Trust, People and Land, and the Kalamazoo River Community Recreational Foundation.
• Survey Research. CHRT and PSC can conduct large-scale recurring annual surveys and one-time, topic-specific surveys, and work with clients to develop a dissemination plan, including the development of deliverables such as issue briefs, infographics, media materials, and presentations. The two organizations have each designed and carried out statewide surveys of the general population and specific health-stakeholder populations, including consumers, physicians, nurses, and hospitals.
• Stakeholder Facilitation. PSC is well known for adept facilitation of broad stakeholder coalitions, working with these groups to build consensus and establish priorities, as well as to identify indicators and metrics for monitoring community improvement efforts. CHRT’s data analysis skills, access to University of Michigan researchers and clinical expertise, as well as their dedication to health policy research complement PSC’s facilitation efforts, providing high-quality, well-researched background documents to inform stakeholder discussions.