Outcomes research seeks to understand the end results of particular health care practices and interventions. End results include effects that people experience and care about, such as change in the ability to function. In particular, for individuals with chronic conditions—where cure is not always possible—end results include quality of life as well as mortality. By linking the care people get to the outcomes they experience, outcomes research has become the key to developing better ways to monitor and improve the quality of care. Supporting improvements in health outcomes is a strategic goal of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ, formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research).
No longer just the domain of a small cadre of researchers, outcomes research has altered the culture of clinical practice and health care research by changing how we assess the end results of health care services. In doing so, it has provided the foundation for measuring the quality of care. The results of AHRQ outcomes research are becoming part of the "report cards" that purchasers and consumers can use to assess the quality of care in health plans. For public programs such as Medicaid and Medicare, outcomes research provides policymakers with the tools to monitor and improve quality both in traditional settings and under managed care. Outcomes research is the key to knowing not only what quality of care we can achieve, but how we can achieve it. Several faculty members in Hopkins GIM are internationally recognized experts in outcomes research.
Gerard Anderson, PhD
Professor of Health Policy and Management; Director, Center for Hospital Finance and Management
Research Interests: Chronic disease
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
Ebony Boulware, MD, MPH
Assistant Professor of Medicine; Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: End-stage renal disease; renal transplantation; organ donation
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
Lisa Cooper, MD, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Behavior and Society; Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clincal Research
Research Interests: Health disparities in depression care; spirituality; physician-patient relationship and communication
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
Gail Daumit, MD, MHS
Associate Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Policy and Management; Core Faculty, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Mental illness, including bipolar disorder and schizophrenia
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
Richard Moore, MD, MHSc
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology; Chief Exective Officer, Moore Clinic for HIV Care
Research Interests: Health services and outcomes research in HIV/AIDS
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED) click here.
Neil R. Powe, MD, MBA, MPH
Professor of Medicine, Epidemiology, and Health Policy & Management; Director, Welch Center for Prevention, Epidemiology, and Clinical Research
Research Interests: Chronic kidney disease; end-stage renal disease
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED), click here.
Donald Steinwachs, PhD
Professor of Health Policy and Management
Director, Health Services Research and Development Center; Co-Director, Center for Research on Services for Severe Mental Illness
Research Interests: Studies of medical effectiveness and patient outcomes; mental illness
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED), click here.
Albert Wu, MD, MPH
Professor of Health Policy and Management
Research Interests: Asthma; HIV; patient safety
To see publication abstracts (PUBMED), click here.
