Faculty

faculty photo
Thomas M. Wickizer
Professor
PhD  
University of Michigan, 1989
Health Services
MA  
University of Michigan, 1987
Economics
MPH  
University of Michigan, 1979
Health Services
MSW  
University of Washington, 1974
Social Work
BA  
Northwestern University, 1969
History

Department of Health Services Program Affiliations:
  -  Master of Health Administration Program
  -  Social and Behavioral Sciences Track, (MPH program)
  -  PhD program in Health Services
  -  Extended Master of Public Health Program

Dr. Wickizer's training focuses on health policy and health economics. In 1997, he was awarded the Rohm and Haas Distinguished Professorship in Public Health Sciences. His research interests include the effects of utilization management, managed care costs and outcomes, occupational health, and substance abuse treatment outcomes.

Contact Information
(office)  H-691, Health Sciences Building
University of Washington
1959 NE Pacific Street
Box:  357660
Seattle, WA 98195-7660
(voice)  206-616-2983     (fax)  206-543-3964
tomwick@u.washington.edu
Teaching Interests
Health economics, health services organization and policy
  • HSERV 512
    U.S. Health and Health Care: Organization, Financing, and Delivery
  • HSERV 516   (Extended MPH Program)
    Introduction to Health Services
  • HSMGMT 514
    Health Economics
Research Interests
managed care costs and outcomes, occupational health, quality improvement, expenditure growth, economic outcomes of substance abuse treatment
Projects
Occupational Health Services Training Grant (2000 - 2005)
Director, NIOSH-funded training program for doctoral and post-doctoral students and fellows pursuing training in occupational health services research.
depts.washington.edu/occtrain/
Evaluation of Workplace Drug-Free Program (1999-2001)
Principal Investigator, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant to evaluate drug-free workplace program administered by Washington State Departments of Social and Health Services and Labor and Industries.
Washington State Occupational Health Services Project (1999-2004)
Investigator, Occupational Health Services (OHS) project. The OHS is a major multi-year quality improvement project intended to improve health outcomes and satisfaction within the field of occupational health.
External Funding (sampling of current and past involvement)
Education and Research Center
Centers for Disease Control
PI:   Seixas           Dates:    07/2005 - 06/2010
The Northwest center is a multidisciplinary training program in occupational safety and health whose primary focus is graduate student training with a strong emphasis in research-based education.

Eval of WA State Occupational Health Services Quality Improvements
WA State Department of Labor & Industries
PI:   Franklin           Dates:    07/2003 - 06/2009
This project is an evaluation of an ongoing quality improvement initiative using pay-for-performance incentives. The project seeks to improve the delivery of care delivered through the WA State workers' compensation program.

Croatian Telemedicine Evaluation
Norwegian Institute of Public Health
PI:   Wickizer           Dates:    07/2005 - 12/2006
The goal of this project is to conduct a performance evaluation of a telemedicine system in Republic of Croatia.

Assessment of Legal and Financial Barriers to Privately Funded Substance Abuse Treatment for Adolescents and Young Adults
Science and Management of Addictions Foundation
PI:   Wickizer           Dates:    04/2006 - 12/2006
This project seeks to improve understanding of the factors that pose barriers to substance abuse treatment for adolescents in Washington State.

Disability Risk in Work-Related Musculoskeletal Injuries
Centers for Disease Control
PI:   Franklin           Dates:    09/2001 - 09/2006
To develop an accurate predictive model of risk for long-term disability among 5 key risk dimensions: employment related factors; biomedical/healthcare related factors; socio-demographic factors; administrative/legal factors; and psychosocial factors. To develop a brief risk assessment instrument available to physicians when first treating injured workers.

Evaluation of the Effects of Utilization Review on Patterns of Care and Medical Expenses
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
PI:   Wickizer           Dates:    11/2002 - 12/2004
The proposed research, which builds on the applicant's extensive prior experience evaluating Utilization Review (UR) programs, will address important gaps in our knowledge of UR.

Outcomes Tracking Project
WA State Department of Labor & Industries
PI:   Franklin           Dates:    05/2002 - 06/2003
To research the feasibility of developing methods and systems that the Dept of L&I can implement to track health care outcomes, consumer satisfaction, and quality of care for workers with occupational conditions.

Washington State Drug Free Workplace Evaluation
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
PI:   Wickizer           Dates:    10/1999 - 06/2001
To evaluate the WA State Drug Free Workplace initiative and its implementation

Process Evaluation for the L&I-DASA Drug-free Workplace Study
WA State DSHS Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse
PI:   Trupin           Dates:    01/1999 - 06/1999
Process evaluation of the DASA Workplace program.


Selected Publications

Wickizer TM et al. The effects of substance abuse treatment on employment outcomes among AFDC recipients treated for substance abuse in Washington State. Milbank Quarterly 2000, 78(4):585-608.

Wickizer TM, et al. Improving the quality of workers’ compensation health care delivery: The Washington State Occupational Health Services Project. Milbank Quarterly 2001, 79(1): 5-35.

Wickizer TM, Lessler D. Effects of utilization management on patterns of hospital care among privately insured adult patients. Med Care 1998, 36:1545-1554.

Lessler D, Wickizer TM. The impact of utilization management on hospital readmissions for patients with cardiovascular disease. Health Serv Res 2000, 34(6):1315-1330.

Wickizer TM, Lessler D. Effects of cost containment programs on patterns of care and readmissions among privately insured children and adolecents. Am J Public Health 1999, 89(9):1353-1359.

Dissertation, Thesis and Capstone Committees (recent graduates)
2007
Chair, dissertation committee for Colleen Daly
Does changing work organization through telecommuting affect individual health? A focus on stress and health behavior

2007
Chair, dissertation committee for Jeanne Sears
Nurse practitioners as attending providers in the workers' compensation system: policy evaluation of recent legislation in Washington State

2006
Chair, thesis committee for Margaret Lentell
Effect of a patient reminder system on preventive health care use by medically underserved persons

2005
Chair, thesis committee for D Duff
The Evolution of Medicine: Transitioning from Tertiary to Secondary Screening for Developmental Dysplasia of the Hip at Women's Hospital in British Columbia

2004
Chair, dissertation committee for Bert Stover
Validation and evaluation of a disability measure for upper extremity musculoskeletal disorder screening in the workplace and prognostic factors of long-term disability