Research on health informatics at Kaiser Permanente Washington focuses on developing and using health information technology (IT) to transform health care delivery. By testing new paradigms of care that provide more opportunities to engage patients, this research is supplying valuable evidence that is helping shape federal policy and guiding innovative redesign of health care.
“We’re working to understand how to make health IT practical so patients and care teams find it useful and engaging,” explained Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) Senior Investigator James Ralston, MD, MPH. “We want to find ways to use information technologies to support patients and providers together, both inside and outside the office.”
Integral to this support is designing technologies that are user-friendly and meet the needs of both patients and providers. By applying human-centered methods that focus on needs, use, and usability, KPWHRI researchers inform the design of health IT with direct participation from users.
Groundbreaking methodological work by KPWHRI health informatics researchers includes developing natural language processing (NLP) to analyze text such as notes and written reports in electronic health records (EHRs). Assistant Investigator David Carrell, PhD, leads in the area of using NLP and machine learning to identify patient phenotypes, or specific health characteristics such as possible heart disease, risk of opioid overdose, or suggestion of colon cancer. This information can assist researchers in studying how genetics and other factors influence disease.
Other examples of KPWHRI health informatics research include projects using EHRs and secure electronic communications such as:
Examples of KPWHRI research in mobile health (mHealth) and user-centered design include:
“Our studies on using health IT to improve care are showing that we can achieve better outcomes when we shift care from the doctor’s office to where people live: in their homes—and online,” said Senior Investigator Beverly B. Green, MD, MPH.
Tasker E, Roman MG, Akosile M, Mayes C, Hughes S, LaRue B. Efficacy of "touch" DNA recovery and room-temperature storage from assault rifle magazines. Leg Med (Tokyo). 2020 Jan 9;43:101658. doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2019.101658. [Epub ahead of print]. PubMed
Chen L, Shortreed SM, Easterling T, Cheetham TC, Reynolds K, Avalos LA, Kamineni A, Holt V, Neugebauer R, Akosile M, Nance N, Bider-Canfield Z, Walker RL, Badon SE, Dublin S. Identifying hypertension in pregnancy using electronic medical records: the importance of blood pressure values. Pregnancy Hypertens. 2020 Jan;19:112-118. doi: 10.1016/j.preghy.2020.01.001. Epub 2020 Jan 3. PubMed
Park S, Fishman P, White L, Larson EB, Coe NB. Disease-Specific Plan Switching Between Traditional Medicare and Medicare Advantage. LID - 10.7812/TPP/19.059 [doi] Perm J. 2020;24. pii: 19.059. doi: 10.7812/TPP/19.059. Epub 2019 Nov 22. PubMed
Henrikson NB, Blasi PR, Dorsey CN, Mettert KD, Nguyen MB, Walsh-Bailey C, Macuiba J, Gottlieb LM, Lewis CC. Psychometric and pragmatic properties of social risk screening tools: a systematic review. Am J Prev Med. 2019 Dec;57(6 Suppl 1):S13-S24. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.07.012. PubMed
De Marchis EH, Hessler D, Fichtenberg C, Adler N, Byhoff E, Cohen AJ, Doran KM, Ettinger de Cuba S, Fleegler EW, Lewis CC, Lindau ST, Tung EL, Huebschmann AG, Prather AA, Raven M, Gavin N, Jepson S, Johnson W, Ochoa E Jr, Olson AL, Sandel M, Sheward RS, Gottlieb LM. Part I: a quantitative study of social risk screening acceptability in patients and caregivers. Am J Prev Med. 2019 Dec;57(6S1):S25-S37. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2019.07.010. PubMed
![]() James D. Ralston, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Jennifer B. McClure, PhDDirector, Investigative Science |
![]() Beverly B. Green, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Katharine A. Bradley, MD, MPHSenior Investigator |
![]() Paula Lozano, MD, MPHSenior Investigator; Director, ACT Center |
![]() Yates Coley, PhDAssociate Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Brian D. Williamson, PhDAssistant Biostatistics Investigator |
![]() Annie Hoopes, MD, MPHActing Assistant Investigator |
![]() Claire Allen, MPHManager, Collaborative Science |
![]() Annie Piccorelli, PhDSenior Collaborative Biostatistician |