Research and Quality Improvement Projects within KPNW

The CHR team provides guidance, consultation and facilitation of the following:

1. Determining the scope and scale of your project
2. Determining feasibility and needed resources to conduct your project
3. Determining if your project is research or QI
4. Institutional Review Board requirements
5. Research design and study development
6. Construction of limited datasets for chart review for data analysis by investigators
7. Facilitation of any required agreements or contracts (e.g. data sharing agreements, NDA, CDA)
8. Budget development for projects
9. Facilitating connections among investigators at Kaiser Permanente Northwest and affiliated research networks
10. Accessing and using available biospecimens for research

If you are interested in conducting research or a quality improvement project at KPNW, you must first engage with our team or a CHR investigator. This ensures that proposed projects are consistent with Kaiser Permanente Northwest policies and that any potential effects on the care-delivery system are addressed.

Be aware that projects involving Kaiser Permanente Northwest programming or staff time may require external funding.

Steps to working with CHR on a research or QI project

If you’re proposing research or a QI project at Kaiser Permanente Northwest in collaboration with an identified CHR investigator, they are responsible for guiding you and your application through the study development and research-review processes. 

If you’re proposing research or a quality improvement project at Kaiser Permanente Northwest and have not yet identified a CHR investigator to collaborate with, then CHR must review and approve your project before any activities can occur. This includes research proposed by KPNW affiliate faculty members, Kaiser Permanente Northwest staff, or Northwest Permanente Medical Group staff, and researchers affiliated with other institutions. Note, you must be employed by or collaborate with an employee of a Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW) entity in order to conduct research at KPNW.

• Complete the review questionnaire here
• CHR will review your application and will follow up with you by e-mail within a week after submission.
• Note: Studies that collect Kaiser Permanente Northwest data as their primary source of data must have any resulting publications reviewed by Kaiser Permanente Northwest before publication. See more about data access and sharing requirements here.

Our Assessment Criteria

KPNW considers a potential project’s feasibility based on:

• Relevance to Kaiser Permanente Northwest's primary mission
• Feasibility of the proposed research activity in the Kaiser Permanente Northwest care-delivery system
• No conflicts with concurrent Kaiser Permanente Northwest studies
• Availability of a KPNW investigator to collaborate with and/or monitor the project
• Impact on Kaiser Permanente Northwest, CHR, and Northwest Permanente Medical Group resources
• Resources available to conduct the research or QI project

Clinical Trials and Clinical Research, Industry Sponsored, and/or FDA Regulated Research

If your proposed research is a clinical trial or clinical research, has an industry sponsor, and/or is federally regulated you must work with the Clinical Research and Clinical Trials Unit (CRTU) within CHR. The CRTU department specializes in the conduct of clinical trials. Email CHR_CRTU_Regulatory_OIC@kpchr.org for guidance on how to proceed with your project.