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Scientific Focus

• Improve health outcomes of substance use and substance use disorder for individuals who are not in treatment.
• Improve substance use disorder treatment outcomes.
• Improve the rigor of pragmatic trials through methodological innovation.

Who We Are

• The Health Systems Node (HSN) is a collaboration of investigators who conduct substance use and substance use disorder research embedded in health systems across the United States.
• The HSN designs and conducts pragmatic trials within health systems, including the Health Care Systems Research Network, Federally Qualified Health Centers, the Veterans Health Administration, and affiliated hospitals.
• Investigators in the HSN have extensive expertise conducting pragmatic trials and observational comparative effectiveness research aimed at improving prevention and treatment of substance use and substance use disorder in medical settings to minimize impact on health.
• The HSN is led by Cynthia Campbell, PhD, MPH at the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Division of Research, Gwen Lapham, PhD, MPH, MSW at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute in Seattle, and Ingrid Binswanger, MD, MPH, MS at the Kaiser Permanente Colorado Institute for Health Research.

Projects

• Pragmatic trials testing innovative approaches to improving treatment and medical care for patients with substance use and substance use disorders. Pragmatic trials that the HSN has led or participated in: PROUD Trial, COMPUTE 2.0, Office-based Methadone Trial – EMBOSS, Co-CARE.
• Comparative effectiveness and other health services research using innovative health system data to address the opioid crisis, cannabis use, and other important research areas. Studies the HSN has led: Virtual Data Warehouse, HEDIS AOD-IET Measure Performance, Prescription Opioid Registry, Determining Optimal Duration of Buprenorphine Treatment, COVID and SUD Treatment, Cannabis use and Pregnancy, Insurance Instability and Mortality.
• Innovative methods research aimed at improving preventive screening and assessment for substance use and substance use disorders as part of routine care. Studies the HSN has led: Evaluation of Drug Screening Implementation, Evaluation of Medical Cannabis Documentation, Validating Substance Use Symptom Checklist.