Clalit’s Database and the Research Institute
In 2010, Clalit Health Services, Israel’s largest integrated provider-payer health system established the Clalit Research Institute. The Clalit Research Institute’s mission is to turn data into decision-making insights that can be translated into policies for transforming healthcare delivery and clinical practice.
Clalit holds an integrated electronic health records (EHR) database, comprised of comprehensive clinical and administrative data since 2000, and some records dating back to the early 1990s. The Clalit Research Institute accesses the database to conduct research that addresses population-level health issues that have an impact on, or relevance for, the members receiving care in Clalit. All of these data are linked through a unique identifier and geo‐coded with the patient’s clinic and home address, and aligned with area‐level statistics. The data warehouse uses a single, universally adopted EHR system throughout the entire organization.
Clinical, administrative, and financial data are captured from hospitals (inpatient and emergency department settings), primary care clinics, specialty clinics, pharmacies, laboratories, diagnostic and imaging centers, allied health services, dental and complementary health services, as well as organizational and national disease registries. The data warehouse is also linked to national databases providing socio-demographic information related to patients and clinics. Additionally, we have the ability to link all medical and health care information of family members.
Types of data captured include:
- Detailed demographic information (e.g. sex, date of birth, member’s and parents’ place of birth)
- Diagnoses (both EHR and claims driven)
- Clinical measures (e.g. BMI, blood pressure)
- Lab test results and imaging tests conducted
- Patient reported information (e.g. smoking status and willingness to quit smoking)
- Cost (pricelist and real‐life monthly cost per patient)
- Medications prescribed and dispensed
- Administrative data (e.g. total costs, health services consumption)
This data is augmented by the largest ongoing patient experience survey in Israel, which is collected through Clalit’s patient portal and Personal Health Record (PHR).
Tools developed by the Clalit Research Institute have enabled innovative clinical interventions and a shift in the focus of care on preventative and proactive initiatives. The goal is to move from reactive, therapeutic care to proactive, preventive care, and to replace a paternalistic paradigm with participatory and patient-centered care delivery.
