Brian Altonen, MPH, MS

BRIAN L ALTONEN PHD (ABD), MPH, MS

Beacon  NY 12508

303-503-0845

altonenb@yahoo.com

http://www.linkedin.com/in/brianaltonen

STRATEGIC POPULATION HEALTH ANALYST—Business intelligence analyst, focusing on health, quality of care, utilization, location, and cost-benefits.

EMPLOYMENT  

DATA ANALYST, SENIOR BIOSTATISTICIAN

New York City Health and Hospital Corporation, Research Administration. July 2015 to Current.

      data analyst and statistician using Quadramed (12.5M patients)/EPIC, employing SAS, SQL, GIS

      engage in data mining, ‘big data’ database development, for grants & NYC population research

      create qualitative research, natural language processing methods for nonstructured data analyses

develop unique visualization spatial tools for reportingon regional health, services, cost, QOC

assist residents/clinicians with developing their research projects, 55-65 per year, 200+ total to date

DATA MINER, ANALYST, RESEARCH MANAGER

Senior Biostatistician, McKesson, Inc.  The Woodlands TX.August 2014-April 2015

Senior Statistical Outcomes Research Manager, HealthHelp, Inc.  Houston TX. August 2014-Feb. 2015

      generate SOX, SAPs, FRDs, SAAS, protocols, and other report shells for standardized reports

      produce reporting modules (lifereg, phreg, cox, Kaplanmeier) for standard line of therapy analyses

evaluated quality of service based upon demographics, claims and billing, outcomes (6.5M people)

modeled quality of care-revenues generated for different diagnostics, therapy, and surgical processes

utilized decision tree modeling to quantify costs, find barriers, and generate/predict savings

BUSINESS ANALYST, BIOSTATISTICIAN

Business Analyst (Population Health Biostatistician), Medco, Inc.  2010-2013

reviewed managed care activities using electronic health records and claims data (80M-110M people)

produced ICD, V- & E-Code, HICL, NDC analytic reports depicting nationwide population health

designed community based meaningful use analytics, testing facilities use, systems-patients compliance

evaluated Teradata mining tools for metrics focusing on efficiency, cost, utilization and fraud

published and presented results directly to clients (corporate PI and teams), professional audiences

MANAGER, BIOSTATISTICS

Postgraduate Institute for Medicine, Jobson, Inc. Denver CO.  2007-2010

engaged in performance improvement projects for several hundred CE/CME programs per year

designed surveys to document end-of-year performance linked to ongoing clinical performance

analyzed, reported on student/teacher/patient performance for 250 medical education programs/year.

designed surveys to document end-of-year skills retention for 80,000 contacts(7500 replies)/year).

created text analysis tool for quantifying physicianspractice and analyzing survey responses.

developed grounded theory method for quantifying doctor-patient medical records reviews.

MEDICARE/MEDICAID PROGRAM ANALYST/COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST

Denver Health Managed Care Denver CO 2004-2007

Quality Improvement Activity (QIA)/Performance Improvement Program (PIP) analyst/writer

designed, developed all NCQA, HEDIS, MCD, MCR programs for up to 550,000 patients/year

analyzed 400+ care givers, from four Medicaid/Medicare programs, 60,000 members.

reviewed 25+ health measures, 7 special studies, 3 service industry studies; 30-35 reports per year.

produced 20 to 50pp reports for HEDIS, NCQA, AHRQ, state, regional offices, special interest groups.

engaged in interventions required to improve outcomes

EDUCATION

PhD/DBA Business (ABD), Healthcare Administration/HIT.  Northcentral Univ., Phoenix AZ.

MPH, School of Community Health, grad. 2003. Portland State University, Portland, OR

MS, Geography Department, grad. 2000. Portland State University, Portland, OR

BS, Biology, SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY

BS, Earth and Space Sciences, SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY

DATA ANALYST SKILLS

Biostatistician/Analyst for 2016 published breast cancer screening survival rates study [H+H, QHN]

Biostatistician for administrative claims and billing study, published 2016 [H+H, Admin.]

Teradata (3+ years), Quadramed, Cognos, SQL, SAS, GIS experience

Survey Analyst, tool developer, 10 yrs –SurveyMonkey, SurveyWriter, Epocrates [incl. H+H project]

Community/Focus Group leader, ATLAS/TI, Ethnograph analysis; interview text analysis.

Review projects for IRB/HSR submissions

Grantwriter

TECHNICAL SKILLS

H+H Quadramed, EPIC

IBM Cognos & Watson, Alteryx/Tableau, SAS 9.4, SAS Enterprise, SPSS Modeler/Enterprise

BI analyst using Teradata, Business Objects, Dell-Perot, CVS Caremark, TierMed.com, ManagedCare.com,

Oracle, Quattro Pro, Paradox, dBase, SPSS, VB, Visio, SATSCAN, ClusterSeer experience

QGIS, ArcGIS, IDRISI. MapInfo, EpiMap. MrSID, GeoTIFF, MultiSpecW32, ERDAS, GeoMedia

Crystal Reports, Photoshop, Adobe Writer, MS Office, Publisher, Power Point, Access, Excel

PROJECT EXAMPLES/ACCOMPLISHMENTS

ADJUNCT TEACHING

      Portland State University.  1989 to 2000, 2002-2004.  

Chemistry Department (Medical Chemistry, Pharmacology, Toxicology, FDA Products).

Geography Department (GIS, Population, Disease Ecology, Community Health, Culture and Health)

      Personal websites:  http://Brianaltonenmph.comDevoted to Medical GIS & History; 20k views/year

                                          https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=brian+altonen  3D maps invention

 

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JOB SEEKING STATUS: 

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Personal Project . . . 

For more on the above project, see LINK.

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CURRENT PROJECTS [as of 2013]:

PhD Project — Barriers to GIS utilization in Managed Care

National Population Health Gridmapping (NPHG)–self explanatory.  Go to NPHG site or NPHG Pinterest.

GridEcon project — A grid-based economics analysis, leading to the development and marketing of the next population monitoring tool (a matrix tool) and automated reporting system.  The analytic tool makes use of specific grid-mapping techniques already developed for data linked to a given population.  Large and small scale regional differences, product/service demand, and cost related distributions across the country are evaluated. 

Status.  The software requirements for this program are basic.  The result of this tool would be to produce the data for submission as standard reports and special reports focused on, for example, population health features missed by standard HEDIS and NCQA reporting techniques.  The end result of this project is the automated analytic and reporting system.  

This system operates many times faster than traditional GIS and SAS-GIS.  Its presentability and time till output also considerable outscore the same for the rate and quality of SAS-GIS outputs.  Preferred systems for GIS monitoring are currently this algorithm and its hybrid version accompanied by standard ArcGIS-based vec-ras spatial-network-grid-3D-stats system.  The former for analyses, the latter for presentation when a focus on a specific topic is required.  More than 200 spatial stats industries were evaluated for their GIS skills (November 2009 to August 2013, ongoing).  Currently there are no tools out there that can do this quality of work, this fast, producing dozens of high quality presentations per day, with this high resolution (nationally–down to the square mile or less, no limits, although G* is used to infer metrics used).

Measures (metrics) have already been developed and tested for this new analytic and reporting technique.  They include traditional standard and newly-defined sensitive indicators identified for population [population health] profiling.  For health analyses, these new indicators are included to evaluate risks and needs of populations normally missed by the other programs.   Standard reports and sub-topical reports can then be developed using this methodology, and are designed to allow for multiple reporting formats (to deter high cost-marketability issues); all reports can in turn be correlated to each other (thus the term matrix). 

For GridEcon Medical for example, these measurements and reporting methods employ standard basic metrics that are already well known and proven, to which new metrics are added that may require special testing with some clients.  Values produced using this technique include the typical n, %, PR, ttlcost, costpmpm, risk score (based on standards developed elsewhere, others yet to be determined) and various pretested published and unpublished health scores, survey results, formulas or algorithms.  The majority of these formulas, algorithms and sqls used for the reports must be repeatable and timely (end products/reports generated and proofed in under 48 hrs).  This entire process is proprietary in nature. 

NOTE: Due to the nature of the mapping algorithms, my math formulas and methodology, this entire process is transferrable to other industries, such as consumer demographics-regional market analysis, petroleum product utilization, energy use and natural resource management programs, recreation and travel industry markets, etc..   Big Data use is preferred due to the focus on a national grid, to which small area analyses or “focus studies” are applied.

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The difference between N and N-squared are first demonstrated.  Note that this age group demonstrates a Pacific Northwest peak for krigged data, when the results are evaluated for their density distribution.   This is due to climate and ironically, the increased availability of social services for the homeless targeting younger age groups.  Other events and diagnoses peak in the Pacific Northwest as well due to the better programs offered, attracting certain communities.  The most unfortunate examples in the past have been teenage-young adult prostitution (multiple forms), childhood sexual abuse, and certain street life diseases.

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NYC Spatial Epidemiologist (7/2015 to present).

Projects (partial listing, as of 9/26/16):

• WTC Long Term cohort study of survivors, direct contact and possible indirect contact victims of 9/11 residing in NYC.
• The spatial distribution of infibulation cases in the metro area.
• The spatial distribution of wife abuse practices, by religious type and ethnicity.
• The impact of religion on the care of children with epilepsy; a study of visit and procedure rates and ratios demonstrating overuse of clinical services by specific religious groups.
• The application of religion to studies of demography and health in the metropolitan area. Developed the algorithm for reclassifying 160 religions into ten major types based upon philosophic teachings and upbringing of religious and non-religious individuals and families.
• The development of several 3D modeling algorithms for illustrating NYC epidemiological data: grid and non-grid modeling formulas, in SAS (not GIS)
• Developed a combined Charlson-Elixhauser Risk Index scoring algorithm, with standardized programming techniques bearing universal applications.
• Designed a cost-burden index for evaluating long term patient care, in relation to insurance program changes over time, and the impact of these changes on costs and predicting costs for an aging patient population.
• Development of a macro/algorithm program for SAS application, in evaluating ICDs by Age, Gender, Race, Ethnicity and Religion, producing unlimited (but usually 40-90) graphical reports and tables.
• Race or ethnicity-linked genetic diseases: a study of cross-ethnicity incidence and heritage (Hispanic Sickle Cell Cases and Carriers study)
• Socioeconomics, race, religion and health in metro neighborhoods: a focus on Islamic culture, medicine and non-allopathic health care service utilization
• Genetic and developmental diseases – spatial distribution in the metro area.
• Precision Oncology algorithms

Engaged in about a dozen studies at any point in time, most by outside parties or programs, half of which are not grant supported.

PRIMARY SKILLS:  Innovative, Inventive, Creative.  Work best with faithful teams and teamleaders in a think-tank, problem-solving atmosphere.  Inventor of new methods and formulas involving previously untested measures; perform 2+ SD ahead of the norm in terms of time and applications. 

Most important inventions/creations:

1. 1. Toxidrome, a diagnostics toxicology database for plants that I developed in winter of 1982/3, is now in its 31st year of use; for the past 21 years it has been sold as part of the complementary/ alternative medicine database package Integrative BodyMind Information System/TM (IBIS), detailing the signs and symptoms of herbal medicine overadministration and intoxication, along with contraindications, side effects, medications and over-the-counters to be avoided with, photosensitization, allergenesis, abortifacience, and pregnancy-/breastfeeding-related risks.
   2. Developed formula for reconstructing, mimicking or modeling land surfaces using multidimensional equations that combine 2D, quadratic, and cuboidal equations into a single surface trend model; applicable to most land surfaces with constantly changing z-values relative to local water surfaces,  versus elevation above sea level [GIS/RS, raster system, DEMs, 1997/8]
   3. Developed formulas for and revived hexagonal grid mapping techniques of 1840  [GIS, vector, 2002/3, my most popular page–link]
   4. Developed profiling formulas for evaluating two objects with constantly changing form or topography (facial recognition, land surface DEM evaluations, unique non-predictable, 2D curve plotting analyses)  [2003-5]
   5. Invented formula set or series for statistically comparing age and gender attributes for 2 exceptionally large populations (1M-300M), with unmatched population size and unequal variances, for any age-gender dependent measure (cost, utilization, income, oil/gas utilization rates, advertisement response patterns, travel behaviors, etc.)   [2004/5]
   6. Developed corrections formulas for more accurately evaluating heteroscedastic-troubled cost income behaviors involving large populations  [2005/6]
   7. Developed new methods for evaluating high variance, high range cost relationships when costs seem otherwise incomparable.
   8. Developed age-gender population pyramid analytical technique [link].
   9. National Population Grid mapping project.  Developed a way to produce 3D models of small area (<900 sq mi or 30 x 30 mi grid cell) data results, applicable to Idrisi, ArcGIS, SAS, SAS-GIS, used to display distributions for any metrics across the US. Developing GridEcon Matrix program for reporting spatial relationship (see above description or upcoming GridEcon Matrix Health page for an example).

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MAJOR JOB TYPES:  Business/Market Analyst, Spatial Statistician, Population Health Surveillance; NPO Management, Professorships, Biostatistician, Population Health Statistician, Environmental Health and GIS, Institutional Administration and Grant Writing.

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EMPLOYMENT RELATED PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES/SKILL SETS

Business/Market Analyst, Biostatistics.  2010 – 2012 incl.  Undisclosed as per institutional, corporate or federal requirements.  Business/Market Analyst; State Medicare/Medicaid/CHP+ managed care programs–oversight/QA; Advanced Clinical and Business Analytics specialist; Integrated Business Research Teams.  High level analyst specialized in population health monitoring of 135M people employed (assuming pending increase of 50%), including  many of the nation’s health insurance companies (28% of the employed US population, including family coverage; programs serve mostly working class and family).   Perform ad hoc SAS-SQL measurements for the largest prescription drug provider(s) in the United States.  Responsible for utilizing teradata system to monitor population health and disease prevention practices and any health-related activities related to prescription drug use.  Monitor and evaluate drug use behaviors and costs across all lines of products at the age-gender, company, SIC, insurance agents, regional and state levels.  Responsible for developing measures of another 25 million people with detailed electronic health records information, such as population based age-gender distributions, population health status and health history comparisons, and standard HEDIS and NCQA measures as required for annual review.  ICD/Rx work entails populations ranging in size from several hundred to 135M.   Tendency is to research extremely rare ICDs due to data availability; to date, records that were evaluated for rare diseases extend back 10 years.

Analyst, Biostatistician, Researcher, Manager of International and National CE Program.  2007 – 2010.  Perform education outcomes measurements for national and international continuing medical education programs; survey tools writer and analyst; parametric/nonparametrics statistical analysis for qualitative text and quantitative Likert Scale responses. Manager position held for Postgraduate Institute for Medicine, Englewood, CO.

Compliance Specialist/Quality Analyst/Research Assistant.  3 years.  2004 – 2007.  Population health statistician and HEDIS/NCQA outcomes analyst/reviewer for Medicare, Medicaid, CHP, Indigent, and Employee Health insurance programs (75k population size). Denver Health Managed Care, Denver Health, Denver, CO.  Invented large population analytic techniques utilizing non-conventional methodology based on GIS/RS large imagery analysis methodologies.

Field technician/GIS technician, Assistant Manager (2003).  2000-2004/5.  West Nile Surveillance and mapping.  Quality Analyst.  Integrative Pesticide Management.  2003-2004/5.  Clarke Environmental, under contract by Dutchess County Department of Health.

Research Assistant.  Medical GIS analyst.  1996-2002.  School of Community Health, Portland State University, Portland, OR.  2001-2002.  State Immunization database program; Socioeconomics/Breast Cancer Screening programs; Nutrition Education program. (Work sponsored by multiple and renewed grants).

Instructorship/Research Assistant.  Principal Investigator and Lab Technician.  Alkaloids Phytochemistry.   OTC  product chemistry (OTC botanical product changes due to limited shelflife), phytomedicine toxicity,  herbal medicine substitution/adulteration,  OTC product tampering/counterfeiting (analyst/researcher for local cases related to tryptophan contamination).  Chemistry Department, Portland State University. 1989 – 2002.

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UNIVERSITY EDUCATION

PhD candidate (Business–Health Administration).   Northcentral University, Phoenix, AZ.  3.5 years anticipated.

MPH (Masters in Public Health).    School of Community Health, Program for Urban Studies,  Portland State University, Portland, OR.  3 years.

MS.  Geography Department/Environmental Studies Program, Portland State University, Portland, OR.  3 years.

BS.  Earth and Space Sciences.  Minor equivalent:  meteorology/climatology. SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY.  4 years.

BS.  Biology.  Minor equivalent: neuropsychology. SUNY at Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY.  4 years.

POSTBACCALAUREATE TRAINING

Phytochemistry. 14 years, University lab and lectureships.

MD Program.  3 years.

MD Distinction in Research program.  History of Medicine group. 3 years.

HEDIS/HIPAA and NCQA trained.

Perot Systems, Caremark, Teradata trained.

OTHER EDUCATION

Medicaid/Medicare Quality Analyst training.   Training by State Agencies responsible for overseeing Medicaid/Medicare HEDIS and non-HEDIS QA program outcomes.  Training by NCQA-accredited QA assessments program reviewers and overseers.  3 years.   2004-2006.

School of Naturopathy (ND, accredited program), Portland, OR. Classes in botanical medicine, Oriental herbal medicine, homeopathy, naturopathy, hydrotherapy.  2 years.  1985-1986.

“Master in Herbology” [unlicensed, non-accredited , just for the heck of it].  1.25 years. 1982/3.

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Traditional anthrax, not the highly potent bioengineered version.

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INSTRUCTORSHIPS (1988 – present)

Phytochemistry and chemotaxonomy; the evolution of chemical products in plants; food and drug chemistry.

Ethnobotany/ethnopharmacology; native american medicine; inuit medicine; transformation of common belief.

History of Pharmacy/Medicine; the history and evolution of alternative /complementary medicines in North America, colonial times to present; 17 to 18th C New York colonial medicine; Trapper Medicine; Overland Trail medicine; 19th century antebellum medicine.

Bioengineered phytochemicals, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and industrial chemical products

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS).  Spatial statistics.

Epidemiology/Biostatistics.

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RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIPS

GIS Oregon Toxic Release Sites and State Cancer Incidence. 2002-2003.

GIS-Oregon Lyme Disease. 2001.

GIS-Remote Sensing of Michoacan region: changes in land use patterns, 1976 to 1993 based on Landsat Imagery.  (Research Grant Sponsored.) 1997-1998.

Phytochemicals and the Science of Remote Sensing. (Small university grant.)  1997.

The evolution and synthesis of waxes and other leaf surface protectants on local Arceuthobium (mistletoe) leaves.  (small grant) 1994.

Sesquiterpene lactone phytosynthesis and local sesquiterpene lactone-frullanoside toxicity (local occupational disease study for lumber industry). (State sponsored research/labwork.) 1991.

The synthesis of coumarins, neolignans and tannins in Berberidaceae. 1987-1992.

Benzylisoquinoline alkaloids in Ranales and other Ranalean-BIQ-rich plant orders.  1987-1991.

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NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION EXPERIENCE

Plant Medicine Toxicology expert. Developed database on botanical toxidromes 1983, applied to nationally marketed herbal medicine database 1990/1; developed diagnostic tool and toxidrome database for IBIS/TM program, a national integrative medicine database/clinical practice and education tool. 1992 – present.

Northwest Endangered Plant Species and Wildflowers groups. 1988 to 2002.

Naturalist. Hoyt Arboretum and Sierra Club, Portland, Oregon region, 1987 – 2002.

Aurora (Utopian Settlement) Group, Aurora, Oregon. 1987.

Naturalist/Herbarium Director/Field and Lab Instructor.   Museum of Long Island Natural Sciences. 1980-1986.

Training Officer/Instructorships.  Emergency Medicine, NYS EMT programs, Automobile Extrication training programs, Disaster Management, ARC, AFA, CPR, Water Safety and Rescue programs, etc.  1975-1985.  SUNY at Stony Brook Volunteer Ambulance Corps, 1976 – 1986; University Hospital Residency Program, SUNY at Stony Brook, 1985-1987

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