LPHI and Tulane SPHTM Partner to Launch Health Systems Analytics Research Center
New Orleans, LA (PRWEB) September 19, 2013 -- In response to growing local and national interest in health system performance improvement, two New Orleans-based public health organizations, the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI) and Tulane University’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (SPHTM), recently partnered to launch the Health Systems Analytics Research Center (HSARC).
As the first center of its kind in the region, HSARC will focus on improving health system performance and efficiency through systematic analysis of health data related to human, technological, and social factors affecting health outcomes. Sample projects HSARC will be involved with include analysis of frequent use of emergency departments using Health Information Exchange (HIE) data, examination of pharmacy data to study the effects of medication on patient health outcomes, and the study of how medical homes impact quality of clinical care.
Through the co-directorship of Dr. Anjum Khurshid, LPHI’s Director of Health Systems, and Dr. Lizheng Shi, Associate Professor with Tulane’s Department of Global Health Systems and Development, the HSARC will provide advanced analytics capacity to enhance evidence-based decision making affecting public health, health policy, and health systems. The HSARC will also create opportunities for experts from different disciplines (academic, policy, and clinical researchers) to work collaboratively on issues related to health data analysis and its implications.
HSARC will provide a range of professional services for health plan administrators, government agencies, foundations, and healthcare organizations. Services include conducting health analytics, generating reports based on customer needs, business analytics and optimization services, data integration, and advanced data techniques including data mining, predictive modeling, regression analysis, propensity score matching, and simulation models to discover insights that impact practice and quality of care.
Professional development and training opportunities for junior researchers and students at Tulane University and other educational institutions will also be developed, along with community partnerships to advance translational research using data from health care organizations, information exchanges, insurance claims, health services operations, and other sources to support improvements in population health.
“I am pleased by the incredible progress being made toward the creation of a more efficient, patient-centered, and data-driven health system for the Greater New Orleans area,” said Dr. Anjum Khurshid, Director of LPHI’s Health Systems Division. “HSARC will continue to build upon the successful work of Crescent City Beacon Community partners while pursuing new opportunities for translational, practice, and policy-relevant research to achieve the highest quality health system possible.”
“Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, the environment is more than ever favorable for innovative ideas and systems changes for managing previously uninsured populations and for studying other needed reforms in population health using 'big data,'" said Dr. Lizheng Shi, Regents Associate Professor of Health Systems Management and Policy. “With the combined resources of Tulane and LPHI, the Center has the potential to become a powerhouse for health systems analytics in Louisiana and the Gulf Coast region.”
About the Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI)
Founded in 1997, The Louisiana Public Health Institute’s mission is to promote and improve the health and quality of life in Louisiana through public-private partnering at the community, parish and state levels. By fostering collaborative endeavors in the areas of health information, public policy, applied research, and community capacity enhancement, LPHI works to develop community-oriented solutions that improve the health of the Louisiana population. For more information, visit http://www.lphi.org.
About Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
The Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is the oldest school of public health and the oldest school of tropical medicine in the U.S. The school’s mission is to advance public health knowledge, promote health and well-being, and prevent disease, disability, and premature mortality. For more information, please visit http://www.sph.tulane.edu.
Mary Martin Fein, Louisiana Public Health Institute (LPHI), (504) 301-9814, [email protected]
Share this article