Policy to Action

There are distinguishable differences among end-users of research, implementation science, and research science. Research science can be theoretical or applied and is used to conceptualize and frame problems, test solutions for validity and reliability, and look for relationships among variables. Implementation science may not differ all that much from applied research science, but focuses on how best to implement strategies into practice. End-users are the recipients of the research findings, using them to activate change in a policy, procedure or protocol. The Research Consortium for Health Care Value Assessment strives to serve practitioners of all three of these activities.

Examples of Research Science

• VBID Health
• Center for Evaluation of Value and Risk in Health 
• Duke University - Margolis Center for Health Policy 
• University of Michigan – Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation 

Examples of Implementation Science

• The Center for Health & Research Transformation - The Center for Health and Research Transformation (CHRT) is a non-profit impact organization. CHRT works to transform data and research into useful information that improves the health of people and communities.

• Health Care Transformation Task Force - The Health Care Transformation Task Force was established in 2014 with the goal of bringing together patients, payers, providers, and purchaser representatives to act as a private sector driver, coordinator, and facilitator of delivery system transformation.

• The State of Value in U.S. Health Care – The University of Utah Health provides Value Survey results in an interactive dashboard. Conducting a national survey targeted at consumers, providers and employers, the survey focuses on what each group thinks about the component parts of value: quality, service and cost.

Examples of End-Users 

• ​​​​​​​America’s Health Insurance Plans
• The Costs of Care – Their mission and vision are to provide better care, better health and lower cost. They contend that by working together we can improve the safety, affordability and experience of health care.