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NORC at the University Chicago
Leverage the strength of secondary data sources to answer your questions of public health importance.

Federal and other clients often need to conduct surveillance activities or evaluate programmatic impacts but may lack the resources for large scale primary data collection efforts.  

NORC’s Health Analytics program has developed methods and expertise to address surveillance, evaluation, and research questions using secondary data sources that have already been collected, such as medical payment claims, electronic health records, nationally representative surveys, and published study estimates.  

NORC has worked with the CDC’s Vision Health Initiative to build the Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System using data collected from Secondary sources. We are working with the CDC’s Division of Population Health to develop a small area estimates of hearing loss for the United States and with the National Institute on Aging to build the country’s first surveillance system of diagnosed Alzheimer’s Disease and Alzheimer’s related dementias. For CDC’s Division of Injury Prevention, NORC is using electronic health records and administrative payment claims in conjunction with a primary data collection to evaluate the effectiveness of the CDC STEADI Fall Prevention Initiative.

Health Analytics Experts

Highlighted Projects

Enhancing Maine’s All-Payer Claims Database

New and improved processes for collecting and using Maine’s health care claims data

Client:

Human Services Research Institute (HSRI)

Colorado All-Payer Claims Database

Streamlining the management of Colorado’s health insurance claims

Client:

Center for Improving Value in Healthcare (CIVHC)

Validated Device Listing Project

Helping the AMA develop a list of devices validated for clinical accuracy

Funder:

American Medical Association

COVID-19 & Obesity Survey

Assessing public perceptions of obesity risks and treatments and the impact of COVID-19

Client:

American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery

Support for CDC’s 6|18 Initiative

Engaging state health agencies to adopt 6|18 Initiatives that improve population health

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

AHRQ Safety Program for MRSA Prevention

Scaling and evaluating an evidence-based approach to MRSA prevention in hospitals and long-term care facilities

Client:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Obesity Prevalence & Comorbidity Map

An interactive mapping tool offering insights into prevalence of obesity and related chronic diseases

Client:

Novo Nordisk

Improving and Enhancing U.S. Vision & Eye Health Surveillance

The most comprehensive system to track eye diseases and vision loss

Client:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Division of Diabetes Translation, Vision Health Initiative

COVID-19 Impact Survey

Providing real-time data collection during the onset of the pandemic

Client:

The Data Foundation

Adult Obesity in Rural America

An analysis of obesity prevalence, sociodemographic factors, and access to care in rural and urban counties

Client:

Novo Nordisk

Development of an Interactive Fall Prevention Planning Tool

Online comprehensive tool to increase awareness of fall risk and prevent falls among older adults

Client:

CDC Foundation

Network-Driven COVID-19 Prevention for Vulnerable Populations (RADx-UP)

Randomized control trials to evaluate network-based approaches to promote COVID-19 prevention

Client:

National Institute of Drug Abuse

Equitably Promoting a Hypertension Control Method

Determining if the Hypertension Management Program is effective in high-burden, low-resourced health care settings

Funder:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention

Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP)

The nation’s most comprehensive source of hospital care data

Client:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Indiana University’s P2P Health Interviews

Sampling and data collection support for the Person to Person Health Interview Study

Funder:

Indiana University

Evaluation of the Next Generation Accountable Care Organization Model

Assessing an innovative model to reduce Medicare costs

Client:

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

NIC-NORC Senior Housing Research Portfolio

Using the market’s most robust data assets to understand the health and housing needs of older adults

Client:

The National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care

Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic & Treatment (EPSDT)

Assessing and analyzing state availability, delivery, and provision of EPSDT benefit services

Client:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Health Care Cost Institute Research Database

Managing one of the nation’s largest multi-payer claims databases to drive insights into health care spending trends

Client:

Health Care Cost Institute

The Truth Initiative Foundation GIS Support

Innovative geospatial analytical work to support groundbreaking tobacco research

Funder:

The Truth Initiative Foundation

Evaluation of the ACO REACH Model

Evaluating the ACO REACH model that is transitioning Medicare from fee-for-service to value-based care

Client:

Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Massachusetts Lawyer Well-Being Study

Understand lawyer well-being and how it varies by demographics, employment type, and workplace environment

Client:

Board of Bar Overseers Massachusetts

Massachusetts Lawyers Demographic and Law Practice Data

Develop an interactive data tool to examine demographic and professional characteristics of Massachusetts lawyers

Client:

Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Standing Committee on Lawyer Well-Being

Estimating Costs and Mortality of Hospital-Acquired Conditions

Quantifying the burden of hospital acquired conditions in America

Funder:

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

STEADI Fall Prevention Evaluation

Assessing the cost-effectiveness and adherence of a fall prevention program in primary care settings

Client:

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention

Florida Transparency Initiative for Health Care

Developing a tool to help consumers compare health care costs and quality

Client:

Health Care Cost Institute (HCCI)