Optimizing short- and long-term outcomes for patients with pediatric and congenital heart disease depends upon continued scientific discovery and translation to clinical improvements in a coordinated effort by multiple stakeholders. Several challenges remain for clinicians, researchers, administrators, and patients and families seeking to continue scientific and clinical advancements in the field. Cardiac Networks United seeks to build upon experience and success achieved to-date to create a new infrastructure for research and quality improvement that will serve the needs of the pediatric and congenital heart community in the future.
Initial Efforts
- Standardized, shared common data elements across networks: Reduce redundant data capture, maintenance, analysis
- Standardized, shared regulatory/contracting practices: Support data sharing, stream-line start up
- Collaborative research: Demonstrating integrated data can support novel science otherwise not possible
- Shared QI expertise: To promote translation of discovery to improvements in care
- Scalability: Tools to support expansion to other networks and emerging data sources
Infrastructure
- Data Core (University of Michigan) – facilitating data sharing, integration, and management
- Improvement Core (Cincinnati Children’s Hospital) – supporting collaborative learning and quality improvement activities across the networks