Research and clinical advancements
Research and clinical advancements
At HCA Healthcare, we help shape the future of healthcare through clinical research that aims to advance patient care across our network and industry-wide.
William Evans, Julie Craghead, Medical Lab Techs; Lone Peak Hospital
Misouca White, Medical Lab Tech, HCA Florida University Hospital
416
active trials
43
Research Institute sites
HCA Healthcare Research Institute
The HCA Healthcare Research Institute is the multispecialty clinical research arm of our organization focused on advancing therapies for patients through our affiliated network of providers and care sites. In 2024, the Research Institute grew to 43 sites throughout our network and enrolled approximately 3,000 patients in 416 active trials.
Through a new partnership between the Research Institute and March of Dimes, a multi-year campaign launched to investigate interventions to increase utilization of low dose aspirin in patients with recognized risk factors for preeclampsia. Working closely with physicians and data from more than 1.2 million infant and mother pairs or live births in our Women and Children’s service line, the Research Institute hopes to use HCA Healthcare’s size and scale to improve quality care through clinical education and increased public awareness. This initiative will promote synergies between our organizations, revolutionize care for mother and baby, and provide evidence-based publications to address disparities in healthcare among at-risk or underserved patient populations. In March of 2024, March of Dimes announced the Low Dose, Big Benefits campaign aimed at educating families and caregivers of the benefits of prevention for hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, like preeclampsia which are among the leading causes of death for pregnant women. Read more about HCA Healthcare’s long-standing partnership with March of Dimes.
Participating in clinical trials
HCA Healthcare strives to advance medical knowledge and foster innovation through partnerships with top academic institutions and government health agencies. Large-scale trials employing practice-based research aim to improve standards of care faster than traditional randomized controlled trials. The studies are implemented in routine patient care settings, hopefully allowing for results to be more broadly applicable to, and more rapidly incorporated into real-world practice.
We continue to collaborate on large-scale clinical trials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute and the University of California, Irvine (UCI) Health. Together, our organizations have published significant studies such as the REDUCE (Randomized Evaluation of Decolonization Versus Universal Clearance to Eliminate) MRSA and ABATE (Active Bathing to Eliminate Infection) trials. We continue to work together to shape the future of healthcare.
Rapidly detecting and responding to hospital infectious outbreaks
In 2024, the scientific consortium published the results of the CLUSTER trial, designed to test an algorithm-driven outbreak detection tool that analyzed clinical laboratory data to provide real-time alerts about potential transmission of
contagious bacteria and pathogens that can cause infections. There previously was no standardized approach for detecting potential transmission, and early detection can lead to a rapid response that reduces the chance for outbreaks to occur.
Conducted in 82 HCA Healthcare hospitals over a three-year period, the trial demonstrated how the tool can help identify potential outbreaks early, allowing for quick action to prevent the spread of infections. Facilities using the new tool were able to initiate infection protocol sooner, reducing the size of outbreaks by 64%.
Identifying appropriate antibiotics for commonly treated infections
Two large, multi-state clinical trials called the INSPIRE trials identified a more effective way to improve antibiotic selection for patients hospitalized with pneumonia or urinary tract infections (UTIs). The studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), involved over 220,000 patients across 59 HCA Healthcare hospitals.
The trials tested an algorithm that analyzed pre-trial patient outcomes, hospital-specific data and a patient’s electronic health record and gave participating clinicians real-time, personalized recommendations for effective antibiotics. According to the studies, the alerts resulted in a better match for 28% of pneumonia patients and 17% of UTI patients compared to hospitals without these alerts.
HCA Healthcare Sarah Cannon Cancer Network
The HCA Healthcare Sarah Cannon Cancer Network, a global leader in cancer care, strives to improve standards of care to meet the evolving needs of the communities we serve. The Sarah Cannon Transplant and Cellular Therapy Network (SCTCTN), spanning four states and five community-based sites, is the largest provider of cellular therapy in the nation.
In 2024, SCTCTN successfully established a remote patient monitoring process designed to safely transition more than 75% of HCA Healthcare’s CAR T-cell therapy patients into an outpatient setting. Patients undergoing intense treatments spend an average of 16 additional days in the hospital to manage their symptoms. By monitoring patients from their own home, the program minimizes disruptions to patients’ daily life, decreases risk of hospital-based infections and enhances the patient experience. The first group of 100 patients spent more than 1,200 fewer days in the hospital compared to the average recommended length of stay for the treatment. Additionally, 20% avoided hospitalization altogether.
As the program develops, SCTCTN collaborates with the HCA Healthcare Research Institute to assess the treatments’ quality, effectiveness and impact on short and long-term patient outcomes. The Sarah Cannon Cancer Network CAR T-cell therapy registry, a collection of curated data from our expansive network, is a valuable resource to drive meaningful and rigorous outcomes-based research and to promote patients’ safety.
Dr. Luke Mountjoy
Shortly after losing his father to cancer as a teenager, Luke Mountjoy began his own battle with acute myelogenous leukemia. He credits his physicians with giving him the courage and resolve to beat the disease and with inspiring his future career. Today, Dr. Luke Mountjoy is living out his dream as a blood cancer doctor at the Colorado Blood Cancer Institute (CBCI), part of the Sarah Cannon Cancer Network at HCA HealthONE Presbyterian St. Luke’s in Denver. In his role, he tirelessly works to advance cancer care and brings hope to his patients.