HMO Research Network National Conferences

Since 1996, AHRQ's Center for Organization and Delivery Studies (CODS) has managed a conference grant for partial support of the HMO Research Network's national conferences. The HMO Research Network is composed of researchers working in 13 health maintenance organization (HMO) research centers.

The Network's national conferences:

• Provide a forum for HMO researchers to discuss methodology and disseminate research findings.
• Create opportunities for researchers working within HMOs to collaborate on multisite research projects.
• Facilitate HMOs' response to the national imperative to develop more efficient, effective, and high quality delivery systems.
• Contribute to national research agendas and funding priorities.

In addition to supporting the HMO Research Network's national conferences financially, AHRQ has had substantive input into the content of the conferences and actively participated in them.

At the 1996 HMO Research Conference, Clifton Gaus, Ph.D., then Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), spoke on the Agency's National Research Agenda. The focus of this meeting was on collaboration: advantages, disadvantages, hurdles, and strategies for successful collaboration.

As followup to this conference, Mary Durham, Director of the Center for Health Research at Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region, developed a paper on collaboration, with financial support from AHCPR. This paper, "Partnerships for Research Among Managed Care Organizations," was published in Health Affairs 1998;17(1):111-22.

At the 1997 HMO Research Conference, Agency participation included the following:

• Barry Friedman, Ph.D., of CODS, co-led a roundtable with Ed Wagner on chronic care.
• Irene Fraser, Ph.D., Director of CODS, participated in a panel on "Overview of Federal Agencies' Research Agendas Relevant to Managed Care" and co-led a panel with Robert Hiatt on health outcomes in diverse populations.
• Carolyn Clancy, M.D., Director of the Center for Outcomes Effectiveness Research (COER), led a panel on outcomes and effectiveness research.
• Kelly Devers, Ph.D., of CODS, co-led a panel on provider profiling and models of care, staffing, and compensation.

At the 1998 conference, Agency participation included:

• Marcy Gross of COER moderated a panel on domestic violence.
• Irene Fraser, Ph.D., Director of CODS, spoke on "Partnerships and New Directions."

At the 1999 conference, Agency participation included:

• Irene Fraser, Ph.D., Director of CODS, joined Jean Gilbert, Ph.D., from Kaiser Permanente of Southern California, to lead a panel discussion on "Special Populations: Developing Culturally Appropriate Strategies."
• Carolyn Clancy, M.D., Director of COER, joined Mark Hornbrook, Ph.D., from Kaiser Permanente Northwest, to lead a panel on Cost Effectiveness Analysis. She also teamed with Leif Solberg, M.D., HealthPartners, on Clinical Guidelines Development and Implementation.
• Linda Blankenbaker, Acting Director, Scientific Review Division of the Office of Research Review, Education and Policy, led a mock study section workshop on the grant review process.

At the 2000 conference, AHRQ participation included:

• Lisa Simpson, M.B., B.Ch., M.P.H., Deputy Director of AHRQ, spoke on "Research with Children."
• Carolyn Clancy, M.D., Director of COER, spoke during a plenary session on "Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice—Opportunities and Lessons."

At the 2001 conference, AHRQ participation included:

• Irene Fraser, Ph.D., Director of CODS, spoke about AHRQ's Integrated Delivery System Research Network (IDSRN) during a plenary session on "Translating Our Research into HMO Practice."

Current as of May 2001

Internet Citation:

HMO Research Network National Conferences. May 2001. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/about/cods/codshmo.htm

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