Dartmouth's John E. Wennberg was granted the 2008 Gustav O. Lienhard Award by the Institute of Medicine on Oct. 13, in honor of his efforts at "reshaping the U.S. health care system." Wennberg is the 23rd recipient of the Lienhard Award, which is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The award includes a $25,000 prize.
Wennberg and his colleague Alan Gitlesohn have developed a method for analyzing rates of health-resource allocation and use as they relate to populations in small geographic and demographic areas, according to the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care. In his research, Wennberg discovered variations in those rates across different health care markets. The variations, according to the Dartmouth Atlas, appeared to coincide with differences in both medical opinions and the supply of resources.
Wennberg also co-founded Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medial Center's Center for Shared Decision Making with James Weinstein. The center is the first U.S. institution that promotes patient involvement in treatment decisions, according to a Dartmouth press release.
"[Wennberg's] research is only now being recognized," Weinstein said. "The current economy and state of health care has brought more attention to it."
When Wennberg examined the results of and reasons for prostate surgery, he realized the importance of a patient's personal preferences in evaluating treatment options, according to the Dartmouth Atlas.
There are three crucial elements of Wennberg's work, Weinstein added.
"[His research is] shining a light on the variation of health care across the United States. [It shows that] geography is destiny," Weinstein said. "Where you live determines what you get. More isn't better."
Weinstein said he hopes that he and his colleagues will continue Wennberg's work, adding that the task will take serious effort, courage and fortitude.
Wennberg's research also contributed to legislation that created the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's Agency for Health Care Quality and Research, according to the press release. A model that Wennberg developed also led to the increasingly popular concept of "pay for performance," in which a physician's reimbursement is based on meeting performance standards.
Wennberg was the founder and first editor of the Dartmouth Atlas, which has reported on medical issues, such as effective, preference-sensitive and supply-sensitive care.
Wennberg is the Peggy Y. Thomson chair for the evaluative clinical sciences and the founder and director emeritus of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Care Policy and Clinical Practice. In 1980, Wennberg joined the Dartmouth faculty as a professor of medicine and community and family medicine. He is also a member of the Institute of Medicine and the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars.
Previous awards for Wennberg's efforts include the Association for Health Services Research's Distinguished Investigator Award, the Baxter Foundation's Health Services Research Prize and the Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Foundatiosn Award in Clinical Medicine.
