June 12, 2025
Through their pivotal involvement in the ADVANCE Clinical Research Network (CRN), OCHIN members are not just laying the foundation for future research discoveries—they are driving groundbreaking advancements that transform science and profoundly benefit our member network.
As a network partner in PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, ADVANCE works along with seven other CRNs to improve the nation’s capacity to conduct patient-centered health research and learn from the health care experiences of millions of people.
Empowering research and improving care
Now in its fourth phase and 11th year of funding, OCHIN-led ADVANCE is the only PCORnet CRN focused primarily on transforming health outcomes, policy, and primary care research for patients receiving care in community health organizations. The ADVANCE CRN integrates electronic health record data from community health organizations across the United States, including OCHIN member clinics, into the nationally used PCORnet Common Data Model to create a research-ready database that drives impactful studies.
While OCHIN members focus on providing high-quality clinical care in their daily operations, they also contribute to the research insights uncovered by ADVANCE simply by being a part of the OCHIN Epic community. ADVANCE-supported research leads to scientific discoveries that may benefit patients, providers, and clinics alike. Past research supported by ADVANCE has studied the role of social risk screening in supporting diabetes control, how artificial intelligence tools can be used to reduce care gaps, and how telehealth can support care in rural communities.
Enabled by the steadfast support of OCHIN members and the patients they serve, ADVANCE has built the nation’s largest and most comprehensive database on health care and outcomes for populations facing barriers to care, including rural communities and patients who are publicly insured, uninsured, or underinsured.
In partnership with Fenway Health, Health Choice Network, Oregon Health & Science University, and University of Washington, the ADVANCE data warehouse represents more than:
The strength in partnering with PCORnet
As a PCORnet network partner, ADVANCE leverages high-quality health data, patient partnerships, and research expertise to deliver fast, trustworthy answers that advance health outcomes. Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), PCORnet is a national resource and “network of networks” representing data from everyday health care encounters of more than 47 million people across the U.S. each year.
A key strength of the PCORnet CRN structure is its standardized PCORnet Common Data Model, which requires that participating CRNs maintain their data in a standardized format to allow the seamless integration and sharing of data. Because of this, OCHIN and its academic and organizational partners across the country can quickly and easily collaborate on research.
This shared Common Data Model makes varied types of data, including demographics, vital signs, labs, clinical observations, diagnoses, and more, available for research across a diverse and expansive set of participating sites. PCORnet is more than a data network—it provides access to patient partners and thousands of clinicians with expert knowledge of PCORnet-enabled data, providing meaningful research targets and faster answers.
The future direction of ADVANCE
As ADVANCE enters its second decade of funding, the team is focused on collaborating with other PCORnet clinical research networks to continue advancing patient-centered research nationwide.
“We know that limits in staffing, research infrastructure, and funding have made it challenging for community health organizations to participate in clinical research studies, including patient and clinic-randomized clinical trials, in the past,” said Erika Cottrell, PhD, MPP, principal investigator of ADVANCE and program director of clinical research networks at OCHIN.
“We hope to use the robust infrastructure of ADVANCE to ensure that community health organizations and their patients are represented in this critical research.”
OCHIN members can learn more about ADVANCE at ADVANCEcollaborative.org.
The research reported in this work was powered by PCORnet®. PCORnet has been developed with funding from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute® (PCORI®) and conducted with the Accelerating Data Value Across a National Community Health Center Network (ADVANCE) Clinical Research Network (CRN). ADVANCE is a Clinical Research Network in PCORnet® led by OCHIN in partnership with Health Choice Network, Fenway Health, University of Washington, and Oregon Health & Science University. ADVANCE’s participation in PCORnet® is funded through the PCORI Award RI-OCHIN-01-MC.
