Thomas W. Concannon

@tconcannon on Twitter

Senior Policy Researcher

Boston Office

Education

Ph.D. in health policy and administration, Harvard University; M.A. in political science, McGill University; B.A. in political science, University of Massachusetts

Media Resources

This researcher is available for interviews.

To arrange an interview, contact the RAND Office of Media Relations at (310) 451-6913, or email media@rand.org.

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Overview

Thomas Concannon is a senior policy researcher at the RAND Corporation, assistant professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine (2006-present), and director of Stakeholder and Community Engagement at Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (2015-present). For more than 25 years, Concannon has collaborated with patients, clinicians and other stakeholders in health care and research. Concannon pursues two major research interests: (1) delivery, access, and use of specialty care, including in burns, cardiovascular, and orthopedic health services, (2) involvement of patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders in clinical and translational science. He is committed to improving the usefulness of research in policy decisions. He leads several large evaluations of CMS, CMMI, and CDC programs and service delivery models. He has published frameworks aimed at improving the translation of clinical and health systems research through use of pragmatic, rapid-cycle, and stakeholder-engagement approaches.

Concannon earned his Ph.D. in health policy at Harvard University and his M.A. in political science at McGill University.

Research Focus

Concurrent Non-RAND Positions

Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine; Director, Stakeholder and Community Engagement Program, Tufts Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute

Recent Projects

Stakeholder Views on Patient-Centered Comparative Effectiveness Research
Chicago Area Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Network
Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute
Veterans Affairs Accountability and Choice Act Assessments

Selected Publications

Concannon TW, Guise JM, Dolor RJ, Meissner P, Krishnan JA, Pace WD, Saltz J, Hersh W, Michener L Carey TS, "A national strategy to develop pragmatic clinical trials infrastructure," Clinical and Translational Science, 7(2), 2014

Concannon TW, Saunders T, Fuster M, Patel K, Wong JB, Leslie LK, Lau J, "A systematic review of stakeholder engagement in comparative effectiveness and patient-centered outcomes research," Journal of General Internal Medicine, 29(12), 2014

Concannon TW, Nelson J, Kent DM, Griffith JL, "Evidence of systematic duplication by new percutaneous coronary intervention programs," Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 6(4), 2013

Concannon TW, Meissner P, Grunbaum JA, McElwee N, Guise JM, Santa J, Conway PH, Daudelin D, Morrato EH, Leslie LK, "A new taxonomy for stakeholder engagement in patient centered outcomes research," Journal of General Internal Medicine, 27(8), 2012

Concannon TW, Nelson J, Goetz J, Griffith JL, "A percutaneous coronary intervention lab in every hospital?" Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, 5(1), 2012

Commentary

Who Gets Care When Hospitals Are Overwhelmed? Clear Policies Are Often Lacking
As COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge to new highs, states, health systems, and the public continue to need clarity on health care resource allocation policy. A RAND checklist provides clear and consistent criteria for structuring such difficult decisions.
Jan 21, 2021 The RAND Blog
Patients Should Have a Role in Deciding the Value of Medicines
Patients, their family members, and the general public have historically been excluded from contributing to health care value assessment models. But methods for including patient voices in research are far less complicated or demanding than some researchers believe they will be.
Jul 10, 2020 STAT
What Makes Stakeholders Want to Become Involved in Research?
Involving stakeholders in comparative-effectiveness research is important. But competing demands for their time can make this a challenge. Why do stakeholders get involved in this research, or not?
May 2, 2016 The RAND Blog
What Do Stakeholders Say About Comparative-Effectiveness Research?
Insurers, employers, and industry are some of the stakeholder groups that are critical to the success of comparative-effectiveness research. Current research models may not provide stakeholders with all the information they need to support their involvement.
Apr 25, 2016 The RAND Blog
More Research Is Needed on Artificial Joints and Patients Can Play a Key Role
Safety problems with artificial knees and hips, including product recalls, highlight the need for more patient-centered research. RAND has partnered with CreakyJoints in a project intended to train a group of patients to get involved in research on this topic.
Jan 22, 2016 Bloomer Boomer
Can Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Improve Health Care?
A review in 2017 of the adequacy and use of Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Funds will be used to determine whether funding levels should be continued or adjusted after its authorization runs out in 2019. Researchers ought to take stock of the work in patient-centered outcomes research.
Jul 31, 2015 The BMJ

Publications

Report
Health Care Resource Allocation Decisionmaking During a Pandemic
The Core Guidance Checklist was created from a discussion process with bioethicists, health system leaders, clinicians, patient advocates, and representatives of communities affected by COVID-19 to improve resource allocation decisionmaking.
Jun 18, 2020
Journal Article
Engaging Patients and Other Non-Researchers in Health Research: Defining Research Engagement
This paper discusses patient involvement in specific research projects.
Mar 5, 2020
Report
An Implementation and Impact Evaluation of From Coverage to Care
The authors present their analysis of From Coverage to Care's effectiveness in meeting its goals of helping consumers understand their health insurance and connect to care and supporting organizations as they aid consumers in this process.
Nov 5, 2019
Journal Article
Practical Guidance for Involving Stakeholders in Health Research
This paper provides guidance to researchers on how to systematically involve stakeholder groups in their research, how to identify which stakeholders to involve, what roles they should play, and which modes of engagement are optimal.
Dec 27, 2018
Report
Engaging Consumers in the Quality Measurement Enterprise
This report explores the experience of consumer advocates in engaging with quality measurement, identifies barriers to effective consumer engagement, and suggests ways to address those barriers.
Jan 10, 2017
Journal Article
HIV, Breast Cancer and Vaccines: What Do High-Profile Cases Reveal About Stakeholder Engagement in Research?
Four examples of engaging stakeholders in health care related research provide insight for current efforts and show that clear articulation on the purpose of engagement can affect how stakeholders are included and lead to better outcomes.
Sep 22, 2016
Research Brief
Characteristics and Treatment Patterns of Service Members with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
This research brief describes the first comprehensive study of care for mild traumatic brain injury, or concussion, in the Military Health System, including patient characteristics, care settings, co-occurring conditions, and long-term care needs.
Apr 18, 2016
Report
Understanding Treatment of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury in the Military Health System
This first population-based study of care received by service members with mild traumatic brain injury in the Military Health System profiles patients, their care settings and treatments, co-occurring conditions, and risk factors for long-term care.
Apr 18, 2016
Report
Employer, Insurer, and Industry Perspectives on Patient-Centered Comparative Effectiveness Research: Final Report
This report describes the views of purchasers, payers, and industry stakeholders on comparative effectiveness research and implications for the work of the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.
Jan 5, 2016
Report
Resources and Capabilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs to Provide Timely and Accessible Care to Veterans
The Department of Veterans Affairs health care system, with broad resources and capabilities, provides timely and high-quality care to most, but not all, patients. Meeting veterans' needs over the next five years will require additional capacity.
Dec 31, 2015
Research Brief
When and How Are We Engaging Stakeholders in Health Care Research?
Stakeholder engagement in research varies significantly: Patients and health care providers were the most frequent collaborators. Policymakers and other researchers collaborated infrequently, or about 20 percent of the time.
Jan 22, 2015
Report
Improving Dementia Long-Term Care: A Policy Blueprint
As baby boomers age, many will require long-term services and supports (LTSS) for dementia care. This blueprint outlines policy options and research directions to help decisionmakers improve the LTSS delivery system, workforce, and financing.
Jun 23, 2014
Research Brief
What to Do About Dementia? Policy Options for Crucial Long-Term Care
Policy options to improve dementia long-term care include those that increase public awareness and promote earlier detection, improve access to and quality of services, increase support to family caregivers, and reduce the cost burden.
Jun 23, 2014
Journal Article
A National Strategy to Develop Pragmatic Clinical Trials Infrastructure
An important challenge in comparative effectiveness research is the lack of infrastructure to support pragmatic clinical trials, which compare interventions in usual practice settings and subjects.
2014
Journal Article
A Systematic Review of Stakeholder Engagement in Comparative Effectiveness and Patient-Centered Outcomes Research
OBJECTIVES: We conducted a review of the peer-reviewed literature since 2003 to catalogue reported methods of stakeholder engagement in comparative effectiveness research and patient-centered outcomes research.
2014
Report
CMS Innovation Center Health Care Innovation Awards: Evaluation Plan
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has funded 108 projects implementing new service delivery or payment models intended to deliver lower cost through improving quality of care. This report describes a strategy for evaluating the results.
Aug 15, 2013
Journal Article
Evidence of Systematic Duplication by New Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Programs
New PCI programs were systematically duplicative of existing programs and did not help patients gain access to timely PCI.
2013