Outcomes and Effectiveness Research
Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks (ACTION)
Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks (ACTION) is a national research initiative sponsored by The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Results of the ACTION projects will help inform decisions made by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and the FDA.
The Department of Public Health of Weill Cornell Medical College has been awarded a five-year ACTION contract that enables it to to form a partnership for rapid-cycle, applied research in health services. The Weill Cornell partnership includes NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and Healthcare System, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, and GHI.
The ACTION contract — one of 15 given nationally — enables the Weill Cornell Medical College partnership to compete for projects during the five-year initiative. It will fund one-to-two-year research projects examining how various technologies and strategies may improve outcomes and delivery. ACTION is a continuation of AHRQ's Integrated Delivery System Research Network (IDSRN), a five-year contract awarded to Weill Cornell that was completed in 2005. The IDSRN awarded 13 studies to Weill Cornell, including research on telemedicine technology for intensive care units (electronic ICUs or eICUs), a disease management system for hypertensive patients, coordinated planning for flu and anthrax outbreaks, and an IT system to help ease the transition of long-term-care patients from the hospital to home. A substantial number of IDSRN projects have resulted in a change to local, national, or international health policy.
