Resources for Researchers and Providers

Collaborate with us! We welcome opportunities to discuss future partnerships in research projects.

Use of health information technology (HIT) – including electronic health records (EHRs) and health information exchange - can provide researchers and providers insight into health conditions and disparities in healthcare delivery. By creating a community of HIT-enabled providers, we enhance the relationships and technical capacity needed for community-engaged and practice-based research.

Our Partnership-Building Goals:

  1. Increase effective EHR adoption rates in Chicago. Prior work indicates that meaningful use of EHRs captures data necessary for clinical and translational research (Kho et al, 2011).
  2. Partnering with local academic institutions, educate and provide technical assistance, tools, and skills to preferred primary care providers (PPCPs) to conduct population-based studies, quality assurance measurements, community-based interventions, and translational research.
  3. Identify and connect providers and researchers, facilitating coordination on pressing local health concerns.

We have enrolled more than 1,500 PPCPs to adopt EHRs, with over 800 currently live on an EHR.  We work with small group practices, ambulatory clinics connected with a public or critical access hospital, community health centers, rural clinics, and ambulatory clinics that serve uninsured, under-insured, and medically-undeserved populations. Technical assistance and education to PPCPs lays a foundation of HIT-centered capacity to engage in community-based research. These efforts allow providers to share resources, gain knowledge of academic insights, and network with teams of Chicago’s HIT leaders.

Resources for Researchers and Providers at Northwestern University

 

Reference:

Kho AN, Pacheco JA, Peissig PL, Rasmussen L, Newton KM, et al. (2011). Electronic medical records for genetic research: results of the eMERGE consortium. Sci Transl Med, 3:79re1.