The Medica Research Institute has joined the Health Care Systems Research Network as an associate member. The Governing Board of the Health Care Systems Research Network (HCSRN) unanimously approved Medica Research Institute for associate membership to this prestigious research network, beginning in January. The Institute will work toward meeting milestones required for full member status in the HCSRN over the next 1 to 2 years.

The mission of the HCSRN is to improve individual and population health through research that connects the resources and capabilities of learning health care systems. The HCSRN, formerly known as the HMO Research Network, includes 19 research centers. Researchers at the centers collaborate on multi-site studies in real-world health care settings across the United States and in Israel. With health care systems serving more than 28.4 million patients, the HCSRN draws conclusions about how best to care for both common and rare health concerns. Network researchers have been answering pressing questions about improving health and delivering effective care since 1994.

Medica Research Institute with its emphasis on studying the impact of health care system structure on cost and quality of care will contribute to the research agendas underway within HCSRN. More specifically, the Institute’s focus on population health for the most vulnerable fits well with the mission of the HCSRN.

“We recognize that transformative science is based on collaboration, and we are proud to become an associate member of the Health Care Systems Research Network,” says MRI executive director Kristina Bloomquist and HCRSN board member. “We look forward to collaborating with this highly regarded national network of scientific peers.”

Collaboration is a core value of Medica Research Institute. In addition to associate membership in the HCRSN, the institute is a member of several research networks, including Optum Labs, the Midwest Research Network, the Patient-Centered Network of Learning Health Systems, and the Accelerating Change and Transformation in Organizations and Networks III (ACTION III).

“The Health Care Systems Research Network is delighted to welcome Medica Research Institute as its newest associate member," says HCSRN Governing Board Chair, Jerry H. Gurwitz, MD, Executive Director of the Meyers Primary Care Institute. “Medica Research Institute is a productive research organization which shares the mission, vision and values of the HCSRN. The Institute already participates in several national research networks, including PCORnet, and will facilitate the HCSRN's efforts to address important research questions relevant to population health, in an increasingly complex health care delivery environment."

About the Medica Research Institute
We are a non-profit, research organization determined to improve the health of underserved populations through contributing evidence that informs high value health care and public policy. We do this through independent, data-driven research that is placed in the public domain. To learn more, visit MedicaResearchInstitute.org.