Research Projects
Since 1993, HMO Research Network (HMORN) investigators have partnered on hundreds of peer-reviewed, public domain research projects of all sizes. The largest of the Network's ongoing consortium projects are described below. The years of support granted to our most enduring collaborations is a clear sign of the Network’s intellectual capacity and scientific achievement.
| HMO Research Network Consortium Projects | # sites | Year funded | Funding agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance Consortium (CanCORS) | 5 | 2002 | NCI |
| Cancer Research Network (CRN) | 14 | 1998 | NCI |
| Cardiovascular Research Network (CVRN) | 14 | 2007 | NHLBI |
| Center for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERT) | 13 | 2000 | AHRQ |
| Coordinated Clinical Studies Network (CCSN) | 10 | 2004 | NCRR |
| Developing Evidence to Improve Decisions about Effectiveness (DEcIDE) Network | 15 | 2005 | AHRQ |
| FDA Epidemiologic Studies of Adverse Effects of Marketed Drugs | 10 | 2005 | FDA |
| Integrated Delivery System Research Networks (IDSRN) | 10 | 2000 | AHRQ |
| Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) | 8 | 1990 | CDC |
| AHRQ: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality | NCI: National Cancer Institute | ||
| CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention | NCRR: National Center for Research Resources | ||
| FDA: Food and Drug Administration | NHLBI: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute |
Cancer Care Outcomes Research and
Surveillance Consortium (CanCORS)
CanCORS is a
national study of the patterns of treatment, decision-making, and
outcomes for lung and colorectal cancers. The HMORN’s Cancer Research
Network (CRN) was funded as a CanCORS primary data collection and
research site in 2002 by NCI.
Five HMORN sites participate in CanCORS, and all have completed baseline data collection and achieved recruitment targets. The CRN has several structural aspects that enhance its contributions to CanCORS, including natural ties to patients; access to accurate demographic, contact, and medical information before contacting participants; and the cooperation and strong support of our medical groups in encouraging patients to join the study.
Among the aims, CanCORS is investigating racial, ethnic and socioeconomic differences in cancer care, along with differences by age group.
Cancer Research Network (CRN)
The CRN was formed to use the
unique HMORN environment as a laboratory for increasing the
effectiveness of preventive, curative and supportive interventions for
major cancers through a program of collaborative research for cancer
prevention and control. Funded by NCI in 1998, the CRN is currently in
its third funding cycle.
The CRN is a mature collaboration of 14 HMORN sites. Over the past decade, the CRN has carefully developed multiple strategies to facilitate the collaborative research process, from budget development to manuscript preparation.
The CRN has catalyzed nearly four dozen research projects that have generated more than $80 million in research support. Pivotal research findings are shaping cancer care, particularly in the areas of breast cancer screening, treatment of older women with breast cancer, and behavior change strategies for prevention.
Cardiovascular Research Network (CVRN)
The CVRN will establish a framework to begin to answer critical
questions about contemporary cardiovascular epidemiology, optimal
management, and associated clinical outcomes within large
community-based populations where most clinical care is delivered. The
CVRN is a 5-year grant funded in 2007 by NHLBI.
The CVRN includes 14 HMORN sites and leverages the broad cardiovascular expertise, diverse health plans and populations, and integrated data systems of the HMORN.
The CVRN will initially conduct studies about the recognition, treatment, and control of hypertension; control and persistence of warfarin and associated outcomes in atrial fibrilation and venous thromboembolic disease; and the use, outcomes, and costs of implantable cardioverter defibrillators for primary prevention.
Center for Education and Research on
Therapeutics (CERT)
The mission of the CERT is to
advance population health through acquisition and widespread
dissemination of knowledge about best therapeutics practices. The CERT
was funded by AHRQ in 2000 and is now in its 3rd funding cycle.
The HMORN CERT is made up of 13 sites and is one of several created in response to a 1999 congressional mandate. The CERT takes advantage of research and dissemination opportunities afforded by HMORN members’ defined populations, large provider groups, and unique data sources.
Since 2000, the HMORN CERT has received more than $30 million in grants from AHRQ, NIH, FDA, and industry supporting over 30 core multi-center studies.
Coordinated Clinical Studies Network
(CCSN)
CCSN’s main objective over the 3 year funding period was to streamline
the multi-site research process by building infrastructure and creating
Network-wide resources that support collaboration. The CCNS was funded
in 2004 by NCRR as part of the NIH Roadmap’s “Re-engineering”
initiative.
All 15 HMORN sites participated in the CCSN in some way. The Network’s efforts have culminated in the comprehensive web-based ‘Collaboration Toolkit’ – an interactive guide with links to more than 40 tools and resources designed to reduce the administrative, scientific and operational complexities of multi-site research projects.
Among the CCSN’s many achievements was pilot testing and implementing a simplified model for multi-site IRB review of data only studies.
Developing Evidence to Improve Decisions
about Effectiveness (DEcIDE) Network
The DEcIDE Network focuses primarily on comparative effectiveness of
therapies to generate knew knowledge quickly, with emphasis on areas of
interest to CMS. The HMORN CERT was awarded a DEcIDE center contract in
2005 as part of AHRQ’s Effective Health Care program, which offers 6–10
task orders per year.
The DEcIDE Network includes all 15 HMORN sites, and to date, has been awarded six DEcIDE task orders totaling over $5 million.
The most recent award, a pilot to develop a Distributed Research Network to conduct population-based studies and safety surveillance, will advance the HMORN’s ability to conduct multi-site study by leveraging existing infrastructure, such as the VDW, and prototyping a scalable distributed network.
FDA Epidemiologic Studies of Adverse
Effects of Marketed Drugs
The FDA funded two HMORN-related groups when establishing research
consortia in 2005 to provide rapid response information for potential
serious adverse side effects linked to prescription drugs through
efficient use of electronic databases.
The eight HMORN sites of the Center for Education in Research and Therapeutics (CERT) and the two HMORN sites making up the Kaiser Permanente California Pharmacoepidemiology Group (KPCPG) participate in this FDA program. This work illustrates the capacity of the HMORN to carry out pharmacoepidemiological and pharmaco-vigilance studies by working with the FDA on post-marketing safety surveillance activities in support of the agency’s regulatory mission.
Current FDA work includes a study of ADHD medications and the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults and a project assessing medication use during pregnancy and potential birth outcomes.
Integrated Delivery System Research
Networks (IDSRN)
The IDSRN was
funded by AHRQ in 2000 to capitalize on the research capacity of and
opportunities within integrated delivery systems. The network created,
supported, and disseminated scientific evidence about what works and
what does not work in terms of data and measurement systems and
organizational "best practices" related to care delivery and research
diffusion.
Since 2000, 10 HMORN members conducted more than 10 IDSRN studies generating more than $2 million in research funding.
The IDSRN program required participants to respond to Requests for Proposals and complete research objectives within narrow time windows. This process highlighted the HMORN’s ability to rapidly respond to funding opportunities and quickly reach consensus in planning proposals.
Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD)
The Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD), created by the CDC in 1990, is the
primary mechanism for population-based evaluations of vaccine safety in
the United States. VSD activities are supported by CDC-funded contracts
between VSD HMOs and America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP). The
current CDC–AHIP contract period is 2002–2012.
The VSD brings together scientific expertise and leadership from investigators and staff at eight HMORN research centers. Data from the HMOs’ administrative data systems, patient medical records and, occasionally, patient interviews are linked and used for carefully planned analyses.
In recent years, the VSD has increasingly focused on timely assessments of hypotheses arising from reports to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System and safety issues potentially associated with immunization schedule changes and newly licensed vaccines.
New!
View a list of all ongoing projects (MS Word, 86K).