Ten major, non-profit managed care organizations that are members of the HMO Research Network will participate in the project, known as the Cancer Research Network. The project will be based at Group Health Cooperative's Center for Health Studies in Seattle. Each HMO has a research organization that conducts high-quality research in the public interest.
Most members are long-standing organizations with a stable presence in their communities.
Common to all of the research programs is a fundamental mission to contribute both to scientific knowledge and to the quality of health care for their HMO members. The HMO Research Network was created in 1996 to encourage and coordinate research activities among the HMO-affiliated researchers. The HMO Research Network works toward this end by sponsoring conferences and meetings in collaboration with various National Institutes of Health institutes, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the American Association of Health Plans. A key goal of the Cancer Research Network project is identifying the patient, treatment and delivery system factors that may make a difference in health outcomes for cancer. By combining the data capacities of these large integrated health systems, researchers will be able to study health care patterns among millions of patients who mirror the diversity of the nation in terms of age, gender, income, education, cultural background and location.