DEDICATE: R01 Research Project Grant (Non-Clinical Drivers of Health Outcomes)

DEDICATE: R01 Research Project Grant

Full Title: DEDICATE - Advancing Care Management Adoption in Community Health Centers

Award Period: Five years

Award Date: November 8, 2023

Prime Recipient: OCHIN, Inc.

Significance: This is OCHIN's first Research Project Grant (R01) as the prime recipient from NIH (second prime R01 award overall for OCHIN)

Program Overview

The DEDICATE project addresses non-clinical drivers of health outcomes screening and intervention by testing the support that health centers need to effectively use new technologies to connect patients with medical and non-medical health-related needs to supportive community resources.

Focus Areas

• Non-Clinical Drivers of Health: Food insecurity, housing instability, lack of transportation, and other contextual factors influencing health outcomes
• Care Management Technology: Optimizing electronic health record systems (EHRs) to help providers coordinate care and manage patients' contextual factors
• Implementation Science: Testing implementation support services to address technology adoption challenges

Research Objectives

The DEDICATE team will:

1. Identify obstacles to health centers' use of EHR-based care management functions
2. Partner with community stakeholders to refine implementation strategies to optimize their potential to support health centers' use of Compass Rose (an OCHIN Epic application designed to support care management)
3. Conduct a trial to test whether refined strategies improve use of Compass Rose to connect patients with contextual factors influencing health outcomes to community resources

Target Organizations

• OCHIN Epic member clinics
• Community health centers and health centers in the OCHIN network

Background & Rationale

• Growing body of research indicates connection between physical health and contextual factors (food insecurity, housing instability, transportation barriers)
• Community-based health care providers strive to help patients manage these factors but face obstacles to offering seamless whole-patient care
• EHRs are often not tailored or optimized to help providers coordinate care and manage patients' contextual factors
• Even with best care management teams, major time and resource barriers exist to connecting patients with services

Leveraged Resources

• Nearly a decade of non-clinical drivers of health outcomes research and practice-based experience
• Over 2 million non-clinical drivers of health screenings conducted to date
• Over 1 million unique patients nationwide
• OCHIN Epic member network data

Key Personnel

Co-Principal Investigators:

• Nicole Cook, PhD, MPA (OCHIN Investigator)
• Rachel Gold, PhD, MPH (Director of Implementation Science Programs, OCHIN)

Research Associates/Co-Investigators:

• Rose Gunn
• Brenda McGrath
• Anna Templeton

Contact

For more information about DEDICATE and its funding, visit NIH's website or contact OCHIN at (503) 943-2500