Embedded Research in Care Delivery Systems

In support of its mission and the goal of the Department of Health and Human Services of promoting affordable health care, AHRQ’s strategic agenda includes “catalyzing the evolution of learning health systems” through research, training, tools, and data. The Learning Health System is a model in which internal data and experience are systematically integrated with external evidence, and that knowledge is put into practice. As a result, patients get higher quality, safer, more efficient care, and health care delivery organizations become better places to work. One way to foster this type of system learning is to embed researchers within care delivery systems. Embedded researchers are either employed by a delivery system or invited to work in them on a specified project. Embedded researchers contribute to health system learning by collaborating with delivery system stakeholders to identify and evaluate innovations and practice changes that can improve the outcomes of individual and populations and health system performance. AHRQ is developing tools and findings to support embedded research, and is funding training of researchers to conduct this embedded research. Evidence about strategies for deploying embedded researchers can contribute directly to AHRQ’s strategic initiatives in support of embedded research and the learning health system and to related programs conducted by the federally-funded Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI); the National Academy of Medicine; AcademyHealth and other non-governmental entities. Most available information on embedded research and learning systems comes from descriptions offered by the participants. There is little independent research on ways that delivery systems currently organize and use embedded research to promote improved care delivery. To provide research background on the current state of embedded research, the investigators for this project conducted an environmental scan. It included preliminary, key informant interviews with six nationally recognized experts on embedded research and consultations with several staff members at AHRQ and AcademyHealth, who contribute to programs supporting embedded research and learning health systems. Additionally, the researchers scanned published and grey literature on embedded research and reviewed summaries of discussions at the inaugural meeting of the Embedded Researcher’s Interest Group within AcademyHealth (June, 2019) and a national conference on Accelerating the Development of Learning Healthcare Systems through Embedded Research (February, 2019). This conference was jointly funded by AHRQ, PCORI and the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Services Research & Development Service (VA HSR&D).

The latest form for Embedded Research in Care Delivery Systems expires 2022-12-31 and can be found here.

Interviews with executive-level subjects

Federal Enterprise Architecture: Health - Health Care Services

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