Answering AHA Research Questions - 2010 to 2012

The aim of the AHA Committee on Research (COR) is to recommend to the AHA Board the research agenda for the association for the next three years. Through the development of the 2009 Strategic Issues Forecasting Report and input from the AHA Executive Management Team and the AHA Committee on Research, the AHA Committee on Research has identified the Top Research Questions for the association for 2010 to 2012. This page tracks progress toward answering these four question by highlighting AHA and external resources that help answer a question or a component of a question.

1. What are the most effective and efficient ways for hospitals and health systems to integrate care and improve performance (financial, clinical, service, patient and staff experience) along the continuum of care (e.g., implementing care coordination across all settings of care)?
   
   

   AHA Resources
   External Resources

2. What organizational characteristics, structures, and processes lead to a high-performing system of care (e.g., the implementation of specific HIT components, specific horizontal and vertically integrated system practices, and clinical and functional integration across a health system that produces benchmark outcomes)?
   

   AHA Resources
   External Resources

3. What are the most promising practices and system design elements for reducing health disparities, considering all factors such as organizational elements and social determinants?
   

   AHA Resources
   External Resources

4. What is the role of the hospital in a new community environment that provides more efficient and effective health care (e.g., what are the redesigned structures and models, the role and implementation of accountable care organizations, the structures and processes needed to implement new payment models such as bundled payments, and how do organizations transition to this new role)?
   

   AHA Resources
   External Resources