How Data Analytics, GIS Helps Dartmouth Atlas Influence Healthcare

The Dartmouth Atlas of Health Care has more than 100 TB of Medicare claims data. This information, combined with peer-reviewed medical research, informs healthcare policy and helps institutions compare their quality metrics. Like any good atlas, it also uses data-driven maps to prove its points.

Over the last 20 years, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice has examined variations in healthcare delivery across both regions and health systems. The goal is to research the causes and consequences of that variation so patients better understand the health services available in their community.

"In healthcare, geography is destiny. Where you live and where you receive care makes a tremendous difference," says Dr. David C. Goodman, professor of pediatrics and health policy at The Dartmouth Institute. (Research shows that there's a relationship between ZIP codes and life expectancy.)