UI Health joins coalition to create data network

UI Health is part of a coalition of 20 health and hospital organizations awarded an 18-month, $7 million federal award to establish a clinical data research network.

The coalition will be part of a larger national network that will model how health care institutions in urban settings improve health outcomes and drive down costs for both rare and common conditions such as sickle cell disease, asthma, anemia, obesity and diabetes.

The grant was awarded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

The coalition, the Chicago Area Patient Centered Outcomes Research Network, or CAPriCORN, will develop a data infrastructure to compile and share data from more than 1 million patients in the Chicago region.

Researchers studying the vast pool of electronic health record and outcomes information will use the data to develop new models of health care delivery and test strategies for reducing health disparities.

“CAPriCORN aligns with our core mission at UI Health to bring to bear our expertise in research and patient care to reduce health inequalities,” said Jerry Krishnan, associate vice president for health affairs and principal investigator for CAPriCORN at UI Health.

“By joining forces with other hospitals, health systems and other stakeholders we can also play a role in improving the health of patients outside our own service area.”

Information from CAPriCORN could help identify gaps in health care coverage, find better ways to use limited resources and improve the delivery of care and outcomes for patients with common diseases.

The collaboration will be led by the Chicago Community Trust with administrative support from the Illinois Medical District Commission. Other participating health care systems include Alliance of Chicago’s Federally Qualified Health Centers, Cook County Health and Hospital Systems, Loyola University Health System, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Northwestern Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, University of Chicago Medicine and Veterans Administration Hospitals.

CAPriCORN is supported by the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Illinois Office of Health and Information Technology, the Cook County Government and the Chicago Department of Public Health.