Answering key questions based on science to help solve health system challenges

A key goal of the ACT Center is to use our research capabilities to help solve challenging problems at Kaiser Permanente Washington and across health systems nationwide. We aim to provide value to our health system partners by being rigorous, rapid, and relevant.

Rapid evidence synthesis

Health system leaders want to make decisions informed by the best available evidence, but it’s nearly impossible for anyone to keep up with the rapidly growing scientific literature in any given field. We’ve developed practical methods for conducting rapid evidence scans.

Our team scans the environment, reviews research evidence, and distills what we learn into actionable information for our care delivery partners. Through this work, we’ve helped health systems make informed decisions and move quickly in times of uncertainty, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Access a selection of ACT Center rapid evidence scans and learn more about our methods.

Data expertise and measurement approaches to evaluate impact

Do the changes we make and programs we put in place make a difference for our members? We have helped care delivery leaders learn how changes impact care and costs by conducting evaluations of initiatives throughout Kaiser Permanente Washington — in primary care, specialty care, and care delivery IT, including at medical centers in Seattle's South Lake Union and Ballard neighborhoods.

This work offers decision makers actionable insight into the benefits and unintended consequences of promising programs to improve implementation and maximize benefit. We also build evaluations into the interventions that our team develops, so we can understand their impact and ensure that they are adding value for care teams and patients.

Consultation that brings stakeholders together

Our team brings forward the deep expertise of our research colleagues to inform program development and improvement in a range of areas, including mental health, pharmacy, and the cancer continuum.

Sometimes what’s needed is to bring together diverse stakeholders to share their perspectives on a complex problem. We convene broad arrays of clinical and scientific experts to explore how to incorporate emerging evidence into clinical care for topics ranging from precision medicine and genomics to dementia.