EQUITY IN TREATMENT FOR ASTHMA BETWEEN LATINOS AND WHITES (EQUITABLE)



Latino adults have poorer asthma-related outcomes than non-Hispanic white adults. This disease-specific morbidity and mortality exists despite longstanding, well-known, evidence-based guidelines for asthma management, but little is known about the long-term utilization of basic primary care measures for asthma in Latino adults. Using electronic health record (EHR) data from two networks in PCORnet®, EQUITABLE will longitudinally study the multi-level factors that affect the primary asthma care of low-income Latino adults. Partnering REACHnet sites include LPHI, Tulane, LCMC Health, Baylor Scott & White Health, and Ochsner Health. 

UNDERSTANDING THE SHORT- AND LONG-TERM EFFECTS OF DISASTERS AND OTHER BIG EVENTS ON THE OVERDOSE CRISIS

This retrospective observational study will build a multi-center cohort of patients across the country to examine the roles that public health and economic policies play in mediating the relationship between community exposure to disaster or other major events and individual overdose risk. Participating REACHnet partner health systems include Ochsner Health, UCSF, and Baylor Scott & White Health. 

ACHIEVING EQUITY: INCLUSION OF ADULTS WITH CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE (CHD) LIVING WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS (NDDs) IN PATIENT-CENTERED OUTCOMES RESEARCH

This first-of-its-kind study seeks to support participation of patients living with CHD and NDDs in research. The study will recruit patients living with CHD and NDD into the Congenital Heart Initiative registry and determine which engagement strategies are needed for this population. Children's National Hospital is leading the study, with scientific and data support from Louisiana Public Health Institute. 

LOUISIANA MATERNAL AND INFANT DATA COLLABORATIVE

The Louisiana Maternal and Infant Data Collaborative has served as a source of health data on pregnant and birthing people in Louisiana since 2016. The collaborative collects and combines data from participating health systems to enable large-scale analysis of maternal health indicators. Currently, Ochsner Health and LCMC Health (including legacy Tulane Medical Center facilities) contribute data. The collaborative is coordinated by REACHnet and is led by a committee of partners working in maternal and child health. 

ADVANCING PUBLIC HEALTH USE OF ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORD DATA

This study aims to build public health infrastructure and capacity for using comprehensive EHR data from diverse healthcare systems to support public health surveillance and advanced analytics. The Georgia nonprofit Task Force for Global Health leads this study, partnering with Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and Louisiana Public Health Institute, while participating sites include Ochsner Health and many other health systems across the country. 

THE MULTI-STATE EHR-BASED NETWORK FOR DISEASE SURVEILLANCE (MENDS)

The Multi-state EHR-based Network for Disease Surveillance (MENDS) is a CDC-funded initiative that seeks to test an automated chronic disease surveillance system using data routinely stored in health records to provide clinically detailed, efficient, and timely information from large, diverse populations with minimal added work and cost for health departments or clinicians. 

RESEARCHING COVID TO ENHANCE RECOVERY (RECOVER)

Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery (RECOVER) is a national research program to define, treat, and prevent the long-term effects of COVID-19. The RECOVER EHR initiative is analyzing electronic health record (EHR) data from health systems nationwide to investigate “Long COVID” (also known as PASC or Post-Acute Sequelae of COVID-19). The goal is to describe the symptoms and effects of Long COVID, determine who is at risk of Long COVID, and identify what medications prevent it or treat its symptoms.  

PRAGMATIC EVALUATION OF EVENTS AND BENEFITS OF LIPID-LOWERING IN OLDER ADULTS (PREVENTABLE)



The purpose of PREVENTABLE is to learn if taking a statin could help older adults (age 75+) stay healthy and extend longevity by preventing dementia, disability, or heart disease. PREVENTABLE is enrolling 20,000 participants nationwide through REACHnet partners—Ochsner Health, Baylor Scott & White, and DHR Health—and many other health systems across the country. 

ADULT CONGENITAL HEART DISEASE STUDY (ACHD)

The ACHD study is led by the Louisiana Public Health Institute in partnership with Children’s National Hospital and seeks to establish a congenital heart disease (CHD) surveillance program through PCORnet®. The project aims to understand the impact of gaps in recommended care for CHD patients and create a cohort of patients of various CHD disease subtypes for prospective studies. Participating REACHnet sites include Ochsner Health and University of California at San Francisco. 

LOUISIANA EXPERIMENT ASSESSING DIABETES – ZERO DOLLAR COPAYMENT (LEAD-ZDC)

LEAD-ZDC is a prospective observational study to assess the effectiveness of zero-dollar copayment for select common diabetes medications on patients’ medication adherence, blood glucose (A1c) control, diabetes complications, and healthcare utilization. Tulane University is leading the study in collaboration with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana and REACHnet partners in Louisiana.

COVID-19 CITIZEN SCIENCE STUDY 



The COVID-19 Citizen Science Study recruited patients into a digital cohort of “COVID-19 Citizen Scientists,” to link patient-reported data with electronic health records to evaluate the impact of shelter-in-place policies and disease containment strategies. The University of California at San Francisco led the study in partnership with Louisiana Public Health Institute and REACHnet partner health systems Ochsner Health and Baylor Scott & White. 

HEALTHCARE WORKER EXPOSURE RESPONSE AND OUTCOMES (HERO)

The HERO study built a registry of over 45,000 healthcare workers nationwide. The study sought to understand healthcare workers’ perspectives and experiences related to the COVID-19 pandemic by regularly collecting short surveys about current topics like vaccination, stress and burnout. The HERO Registry was open to anyone in the U.S. who works in any kind of first responder or healthcare setting. 

THE BLOOD PRESSURE CONTROL LABORATORY

The Blood Pressure Control Lab, led by the University of California at San Francisco, involves three studies. The first describes blood pressure control in the United States using electronic health records from health systems across the country. The second investigates blood pressure control at clinics that receive educational materials about blood pressure control guidelines and seeks to compare blood pressure control between clinics that do and do not have extra support from an AHA-Trained site facilitator to improve their clinic processes and monitor how well clinics are controlling blood pressure. The third compares blood pressure control between patients who receive a home blood pressure monitor with and without a smartphone app. 

GENETIC TESTING TO UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS RENAL DISEASE DISPARITIES ACROSS THE UNITED STATES (GUARDD-US)

GUARDD-US is a pragmatic clinical trial that enrolled patients of African ancestry with hypertension. Participants received apolipoprotein L1 (APOL1) genetic testing, which will return APOL1 genetic risk information to patients and their primary care providers. The trial sought to determine if access to this risk information impacts systolic blood pressure (SBP). REACHnet participants included University Medical Center New Orleans and Baylor Scott & White Health and Wellness Center. 

COMPARING THE SAFETY AND EFFECTIVENESS OF LOW-DOSE VERSUS HIGH-DOSE ASPIRIN TO PREVENT PROBLEMS FROM HEART DISEASE (ADAPTABLE)

ADAPTABLE is a clinical trial comparing the effectiveness of 81mg versus 325mg daily doses of aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke in people living with heart disease. Results are now available on the study website. The nonprofit Clinical Research Forum selected the PCORI-funded ADAPTABLE—the first large-scale study of aspirin dosing to be embedded in real-world practice—to receive one of its 2022 Top Ten Clinical Research Achievement Awards.

LOUISIANA EXPERIMENT ASSESSING DIABETES OUTCOMES (LEAD)

The LEAD Study is a prospective observational study examining the impacts of Medicare reimbursement for non-face-to-face chronic care management services on health outcomes among patients with type 2 diabetes. Tulane University led this project in collaboration with REACHnet partners in Louisiana.

PCORNET BARIATRIC STUDY

The PCORnet Bariatric Study compared benefits and risks of the three most common bariatric surgery procedures: Roux-en-y gastric bypass, adjustable gastric banding, and sleeve gastrectomy. The observational study used electronic health record (EHR) data for over 65,000 patients from 41 participating healthcare organizations across the country. Data were collected through the PCORnet® distributed research infrastructure from several clinical research networks (CRNs), including REACHnet. Results and publications are available on the study page of the PCORI® website. 

PCORNET ANTIBIOTICS (ABX) STUDY

The ABX Study examined the effects of antibiotic use in the first two years of life on body mass index (BMI) at ages 5 and 10 years and on growth trajectories to age 5. The observational study used electronic health record (EHR) data for over 362,000 patients from 35 participating healthcare organizations nationwide. Data were collected through the PCORnet® distributed research infrastructure from several clinical research networks (CRNs), including REACHnet. Results and publications are available on the study page of the PCORI® website. 

USING PCORNET TO UNDERSTAND PCSK9 INHIBITOR USE AMONG PATIENTS AT RISK FOR HEART DISEASE

This study used electronic health record data to characterize the early utilization of PCSK9 inhibitors in addition to standard lipid lowering therapies among patients with varying degrees of cardiovascular risk. Data for this study were collected from eighteen geographically diverse healthcare systems. Results and publications are available on the study page of the PCORI® website.