CRN Projects

This two-year pilot study, led by Dr. Thomas Vogt (KPH), will use the Prevention Index methodology and the CRN VDW to develop and apply a set of Cancer Prevention Index (CPI) metrics to assess the quality of primary and secondary preventive care for cancer. The study will identify the variation in CPI scores across clinics and practices, determine the association of these variations with selected event rates several years later, and evaluate the association of clinician adherence to guidelines with subsequent events among their patients. The study will assess the CPI for secondary prevention (i.e., screening for breast, cervical, colorectal, and prostate cancers) and relate this index to stage at diagnosis, survival, and medical care utilization with 5- and 10-year follow-up for all persons by practice-level performance. A complementary CPI study that incorporates preventive practices relevant to cardiovascular disease was recently funded as part of the HMO Cardiovascular Research Network (HMOCVRN), sponsored by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.