Research
Graduate Research Assistant Project Profiles
The Master’s program in Health Systems provides an opportunity for students to participate in projects at point of care with sponsoring organizations. Typically, students work onsite and are paired with an industry expert and a Georgia Tech faculty advisor during performance of the project.
There are numerous Graduate Research Assistantship projects that have involved our students and faculty which address practical, real-time challenges in healthcare. Following are some of the organizations that we have collaborated with
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
- Crawford Long Hospital
- DeKalb Medical Center
- Emory Healthcare
- Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)
- Northside Hospital
- Shepard Center
- VHA Georgia
The following is a sample of recent projects
DeKalb Medical Center
DeKalb Quality Institute
Physicians at DeKalb Medical Center and Georgia Tech Health Systems leaders are involved in identifying opportunities to improve healthcare quality within the sponsoring organization. Health Systems students are assisting with data mining, analysis, and reporting. Currently, the group is analyzing patient satisfaction surveys and physician process/outcomes. Methods are being developed to automate the capture and reporting of data using "Performance Scorecards". The Health Systems Institute has also assisted in the implementation of the Computerized Physician Order Entry systems at DeKalb Medical Center's three hospitals.
DeKalb Medical Center
Revenue Cycle Department, Contracting and Process Improvement
DeKalb Medical Center has involved the Health Systems Institute (HSI) in supporting various special projects for several years. Currently, new challenges are being faced in providing "transparency" to the public relating to expected pricing of the most common care episodes. To aid in this effort, HSI graduate students have developed systems to project pricing for prospective patients who request information prior to their service at the Medical Center.
Emory Healthcare
The Emory Electronic Medical Record Project
Emory Healthcare has involved the Health Systems Institute for several years in supporting special projects in this massive initiative. Current projects include: 1) developing metrics around medication management to measure the impact of implementing their computerized physician order entry system (CPOE); and 2) preparing for the enterprise scheduling component in the Emory Clinic by examining and describing current scheduling practices.
Hospital Corporation of America (HCA)
Southeastern Division, Management Engineering
HCA has involved the Health Systems Institute in supporting their initiatives for many years. A current project includes working with HCA personnel in Emergency and Operating Rooms in all of the division hospitals to provide data mining capabilities in order to enable real-time reporting of key operating metrics on which medical and operational decisions are based.
For more information relating to the program, please email David Cowan, Program Director or contact him at 404.385.8190.
