Learning Health System Program
Our Learning Health System Program links research and care delivery to bring better care, better health, and better value to our members.
What is the Learning Health System Program?
Kaiser Permanente Washington’s Learning Health System (LHS) Program brings our research institute and care delivery system together to design, implement, and evaluate initiatives that benefit our members, our care teams, and the communities we serve. We use research evidence, data and advanced analytics, implementation science, and member experience to spread sustainable best practices across our health system.
How does the LHS Program work?
- We start by linking the Program's objectives with Kaiser Permanente Washington's strategic goals and identifying opportunities to use our scientific capabilities to help achieve them.
- Next, we develop short- and long-term partnerships between research and care delivery to design, implement, and evaluate Kaiser Permanente Washington's priority programs and initiatives.
- By connecting the scientific expertise of our researchers to the needs and priorities of our care delivery system, the LHS Program helps us continually identify and spread practical innovations that improve our services, our value, our work environment, and our members’ health.
- To date, more than 40 researchers and staff from across our research institute have partnered with health plan and care delivery system colleagues on dozens of projects. Together, we're helping ensure Kaiser Permanente Washington is the best place in our region to give and get health care.
Recent program highlights
What we're learning from our work in our newest clinics
LHS Co-director, Katie Coleman, MSPH, was recently interviewed about the LHS Program's role in designing and evaluating an innovative staffing model at Kaiser Permanente Washington's newest clinics in Seattle’s South Lake Union and Ballard neighborhoods. Read more about what we're learning about the impact of this new model in our latest Healthy Findings blog post.
CRS program's success highlighted in recent site visit
A group from Kaiser Permanente's National Program Office in Oakland recently visited Kaiser Permanente Washington to learn more about the organization's Community Resource Specialist (CRS) program. In a recent Healthy Findings blog post, CRS Assistant Manager and LHS Partner Cindee DeWitt talks about their visit and how the CRS program helps meet our members' social needs in primary care.
KING 5 News reports on LHS Program's flu vaccine outreach
KPWHRI Associate Investigator and LHS Partner Michael L. Jackson, PhD, MPH, was recently interviewed by Seattle's KING 5 News about his LHS project that used predictive analytics to drive outreach to Kaiser Permanente Washington members at risk of complications from the flu. Members who received an outreach phone call were nearly twice as likely to come in for a flu shot. Based these findings, Kaiser Permanente Washington has adopted this intervention systemwide.
LHS at AcademyHealth D&I 2019
The LHS Program was well-represented at the 12th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health hosted by AcademyHealth in Washington D.C., December 4-6.
- LHS Co-director Katie Coleman, MSPH, presented on the intersection of quality improvement and implementation science.
- KPWHRI Associate Investigator and LHS Partner Michael L. Jackson, PhD, MPH, will shared poster on the LHS Program's use of predictive analytics to improve influenza vaccination rates for high-risk members. View poster, or learn more on our projects page.
Notes on our people and projects
- We're excited to kick off 12-weeks of practice facilitation at Northgate Medical Center to help optimize the community resource specialist (CRS) role. Working with care teams is always a great learning opportunity, and we are grateful for our practice facilitators and the clinical partners they’ll be working with at Northgate!
- Kudos to LHS Partners Paula Blasi, MPH, and Julie Richards, PhD, for their terrific work presenting literature review results and recommendations to Mental Health and Wellness leaders at Kaiser Permanente Washington.
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Latest news
Learning what works to bridge care and coverage
Claire Allen describes how the Learning Health System Program is helping evaluate and improve an important initiative for our members. Healthy Findings, Feb. 2020.
Health care innovation
Research helps our newest clinics build the future—now
Katie Coleman tells how Kaiser Permanente Washington research and the LHS Program support innovation at new clinics in Ballard and South Lake Union. Healthy Findings, Jan. 2020.
Research in Action
Partnering with research, CRS program addresses social needs in primary care
Cindee DeWitt describes how Kaiser Permanente Washington’s community resource specialist program stands out among efforts to meet patients’ social needs. Healthy Findings, Jan. 2020.
LHS Program in the media
New program ensures high-risk patients get flu shots in the South Sound
KING 5 News, Dec. 2, 2019
LHS Program Fast Facts
- Established June 1, 2017, by executive leaders at Kaiser Permanente Washington and Washington Permanente Medical Group.
- Led by Dr. Paula Lozano, Katie Coleman, Emily Westbrook, and Claire Allen. Learn more about our team.
- More than 50 LHS projects or consultations completed or in progress, spanning more than 40 researchers from Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute.
Contact us
For more information about Kaiser Permanente Washington's Learning Health System Program, please email us at KPWALHS@kp.org.
