This information is for reference purposes only. It was current when produced and may now be outdated. Archive material is no longer maintained, and some links may not work. Persons with disabilities having difficulty accessing this information should contact us at: https://info.ahrq.gov. Let us know the nature of the problem, the Web address of what you want, and your contact information.
Please go to www.ahrq.gov for current information.
Field Partnerships to Conduct and Use Research
Fact Sheet
The Integrated Delivery System Research Network (IDSRN) is a model of field-based
research that links the Nation's top researchers with some of the largest health
care systems to conduct research on cutting-edge issues in health care on an
accelerated timetable.
Update: The successor to the IDSRN is the ACTION initiative (Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks).
Mission | Characteristics of Partners | Topic Nomination
Mission
The Integrated Delivery System Research Network (IDSRN) is a model of field-based
research that links the Nation's top researchers with some of the largest health
care systems to conduct research on cutting-edge issues in health care on an accelerated
timetable.
Designed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), the Integrated
Delivery System Research Network (IDSRN) was developed explicitly to capitalize
on the research capacity of, and research opportunities occurring within, integrated
delivery systems. The network creates, supports, and disseminates 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. It also provides a cadre of delivery-affiliated researchers
and sites to test ways to adapt and apply existing knowledge.
Return to Contents
Characteristics of IDSRN Partners
As a group, the IDSRN provides health services in a wide variety of organizational care settings to over 55 million
Americans including the privately insured, Medicare (3 million) and Medicaid
(2 million) patients, the uninsured (0.6 million), ethnic and racial minorities
(5.8 million), and rural (6.3 million) and inner-city residents. (Select for
IDSRN Partners and Collaborators.)
Each of the nine IDSRN partners has three unique attributes that make it particularly
suited for time-sensitive research projects:
- Data availability. IDSRN partners collect and maintain administrative,
claims, encounter, and other data on large populations that are clinically,
demographically, and geographically diverse.
- Research expertise. IDSRN partners include some of the country's
leading health services researchers, with proficiency in quantitative and
qualitative methodologies and expertise in emerging delivery system issues.
- Management authority to implement a health care intervention. IDSRN
partners have responsibility for managing delivery systems and are in a position
to implement financial and organizational strategies with an evaluation component.
Return to Contents
IDSRN Partners and Their Collaborators
Partner: Abt Associates, Inc., Cambridge, MA
Collaborator: Geisinger Health System
Partner: Center for Health Care Policy and Evaluation, UnitedHealth
Group, Minneapolis, MN
Collaborators: Allina Health System, RAND, Health Systems Innovations
Partner: Denver Health, Denver, CO
Collaborators: University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Colorado
Prevention Program
Partner: Emory Center on Health Outcomes and Quality (formerly USQA
Center for Health Care Research), Atlanta, GA
Collaborator: Aetna
Partner: Kaiser Foundation Research Institute, Kaiser Permanente of
Northern California, Oakland, CA
Collaborators: Kaiser Permanente—Northwest, Southern California,
Colorado, Georgia, Hawaii, Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound; Harvard
Pilgrim Health Care; Health Partners Research Foundation; Henry Ford Health
System; Lovelace Health Systems; Fallon Health Care System
Partner: Marshfield Medical Research and Education Foundation, Marshfield,
WI
Collaborators: Project HOPE Center for Health Affairs, CODA, Inc.
Partner: Research Triangle Institute-UNC, Research Triangle, NC
Collaborators: Intermountain Health Care; University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill; UNC Health Care; CareOregon; Summa Health System; Providence
Health System; MayaTech Corp.; University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Partner: University of Minnesota, Division of Health Services Research
and Policy, Minneapolis, MN
Collaborators: Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota; Institute for Clinical
Systems Improvement; Medical Group Management Association; Allina Health System;
Institute for Research and Education, HealthSystem Minnesota; Delta Rural Health
Consulting
Partner: Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, NY
Collaborators: New York Presbyterian Healthcare System; Joseph L. Mailman
School of Public Health of Columbia University; North Shore University Hospital;
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; Health Watch
Awards
From 2000 through 2005, AHRQ's commitment has totaled nearly $26 million for
93 IDSRN projects. Select for:
Return to Contents
Topic Nomination Procedure
AHRQ actively seeks input on research topics to be considered in developing
future IDSRN projects. Of particular interest are topics that:
- Fit well with the IDSRN's unique research niche.
- Have clear and direct relevance to public policy or the management of health
care delivery.
For More Information
More information on AHRQ and its programs can be found on the AHRQ Web site (http://www.ahrq.gov).
AHRQ Publication No. 03-P002
Current as of October 2002
540 Gaither Road Rockville, MD 20850