This proposal requests support from AHRQ for the HMO Research Network (HMORN) Conference to be held April 26-29, 2009 in Danville, PA. These funds will supplement the support of $25,000 already received from the Geisinger Foundation, as well as $25,000 that is being sought from NCI to offset costs associated with the conference. The HMORN is a collaboration of 15 nationally recognized research programs, based within integrated healthcare delivery systems, which conduct non-proprietary clinical, epidemiologic, and health services research. The Network's integrated delivery systems provide the ideal diverse population base, electronic medical and financial databases, and longitudinal observation capacity for high quality health care research that is responsive to multiple end-user needs. The annual conference provides a forum to present HMORN research and, more recently, to engage external partners. This venue also serves as the basis for working meetings for collaborative research projects and provides opportunities for communication among representatives from the NIH, AHRQ, and NCI, as well as researchers from the participating centers and end-users of the research. These meetings are intended to advance the quality and scope of public domain research conducted within integrated healthcare delivery systems. In addition, they are perfectly suited to creating opportunities for research that span numerous disciplines and has the potential for high impact, as described in AHRQ's recent Request for Information to Develop an Innovations Research Portfolio (NOT-HS-08-013).
The specific aims of the HMORN annual conference are to: 1) Provide a venue in which key stakeholders (policymakers, researchers, payers, providers, industry) can interact;2) Create opportunities for participants to develop collaborative multi-site research projects;3) Communicate and disseminate research findings, with a specific emphasis on translational research-focused sessions;4) Leverage the unique advantages of the HMORN for a meeting that fosters collaborative opportunities for clinical effectiveness research with external partners;and 5) Develop clinical effectiveness proposals and position papers as a product of the meeting. With this year's theme, Clinical Effectiveness, we will reach beyond the network and our traditional collaborators to share our experiences, discuss tools and technologies, and expand opportunities for productive public-private partnerships in cutting-edge clinical research. The agenda will be closely aligned with AHRQ's mission to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care.
The HMO Research Network's annual meetings support the collaborative work of 15 research centers. These research centers are all based in integrated healthcare systems and conduct clinical, epidemiologic, and health services research. These health plans provide the perfect environment for research with their stable populations, electronic medical records, and ability to focus on the whole population or a single patient. The Network's mission is to use its collective capabilities to conduct research that can be easily translated into medical care.
| Shah, Nirav R; Stewart, Walter F (2010) Clinical effectiveness: Leadership in comparative effectiveness and translational research.: the 15th Annual HMO Research Network Conference, April 26-29, 2009, Danville, Pennsylvania. Clin Med Res 8:28-9 |
