Health Services Research Network

The IMS Health Services Research Network is comprised of academic researchers who are conducting empirically rigorous, policy-relevant studies to improve the quality and cost-effectiveness of healthcare. The network includes members from a variety of complementary disciplines including pharmacy, medicine, law, economics, business, and public policy. Recently completed projects range from an examination of off-label prescribing among office-based physicians to an analysis of the impact of FDA safety advisories on prescription drug utilization to a study of the influence of patent expiration on the use of antibiotics.

Key Features

• Network directed and administered by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics with assistance provided by the University of Chicago
• Steering Committee includes nine academicians with experience using IMS data assets who provide strategic guidance regarding Network research priorities and activities
• Steering Committee member institutions reflect leading universities and medical centers including: Columbia University, Harvard University, Mayo Clinic, MIT, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Stanford Medical School, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, and University of Wisconsin Hospital & Clinics
• More than 90 peer-reviewed manuscripts spanning a diversity of clinical areas have been published based on Network supported research since 2003
• More than 60 active projects underway including several addressing current aspects of healthcare reform

Research Priorities

Although the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics welcomes proposals examining most aspects of healthcare, projects that are directly relevant to ongoing healthcare reform are of greatest interest. High-priority areas include:

Drug Utilization Trends and Expenditures

• Analysis of national trends in prescription drug utilization and office-based care
• Examination of adoption of new therapies among patient and physician subpopulations
• Evaluation of prescription use and expenditures and factors that influence these trends

Comparative Effectiveness Research

• Evaluations of which interventions work best, for whom, and under what circumstances
• Analyses of how comparative effectiveness research is reflected in clinical practice

Geographic Variations in Care

• Examination of geographic variations in treatments, costs and outcomes
• Ecologic studies examining how geographic variation in prescription use (e.g., antibiotics) is associated with specific outcomes (e.g., antimicrobial resistance)
• Studies using geographic variation in use to infer information regarding disease or treatment prevalence

Real-world practice

• Analysis of association between patient, physician, and health system characteristics and practice patterns
• Establishment of best practices and quality metrics for specific conditions or populations, including for preventive care and screening
• Utilization trends and costs in specific medical areas, such as oncology, cardiovascular disease or rare diseases where orphan drugs or specialty drugs are used
• Investigations of socioeconomic, racial, or ethnic disparities in processes or outcomes of care

Network Growth and Activities

The IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics welcomes new members to the HSRN and invites new and continuing members to submit research proposals with a particular emphasis on the above high priority areas. Data will be provided at discounted rates for researchers pursuing these questions, and the greatest amount of administrative and technical support will be allocated to these projects.