Intermountain Healthcare Receives Top Accreditation Signifying Commitment to Patient Safety in Clinical Research Studies

    SALT LAKE CITY, UT, June 29, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Intermountain Healthcare has earned top accreditation from the Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Programs (AAHRPP) for ensuring the highest protections for participants in Intermountain clinical research studies.

In receiving the accreditation, Intermountain joins the more than 70 percent of U.S. medical colleges and 85 percent of the top National Institutes of Health-funded academic medical centers, which are either AAHRPP accredited or have begun the accreditation process.

Notable accredited organizations include the NIH, the world's largest public funder of research and Pfizer, the largest industry sponsor of clinical research.

"Our focus is the patient, and everything we do is aimed at getting people back to health," said Raj Srivastava, MD, MPH, associate vice president of research. "This designation signifies the commitment our organization and researchers have to investigate and improve patient health through innovation and discovery, ultimately delivering that care to the people we serve."

Along with Intermountain, two additional institutions also received AAHRPP accreditation, including the King Hussein Cancer Center in Amman, Jordan, and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

The designation from the AAHRPP is considered the gold standard and signifies the mission-driven culture of Intermountain to keep the well-being and safety of patients and research participants as the focal point of all clinical studies.

Currently, there are nearly 850 clinical studies underway by Intermountain researchers. Last year, Intermountain researchers and clinicians published 426 research studies in 15 different clinical areas.

At Intermountain, the assessment of each research proposal is done through an Institutional Review Board with great care before ever allowing patients to participate. Knowledgeable, skilled, and committed reviewers examine study proposals to ensure that the study has scientific merit, that potential participants are properly informed of the risks and benefits, and that all participants know that participation is voluntary.

AAHRPP is an independent, non-profit accrediting body that ensures human research protection programs meet rigorous standards for quality and protection. AAHRPP accredits high-quality human research protection programs (HRPPs) in order to promote excellent, ethically sound research.

To earn AAHRPP accreditation, organizations must show that they have built extensive safeguards into every level of their research operation and that they adhere to high standards for research.

Intermountain Healthcare is a Utah-based not-for-profit system of 24 hospitals, 160 clinics, a Medical Group with some 2,300 employed physicians and advanced care practitioners, a health insurance company called SelectHealth, and other health services. Intermountain is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare through evidence-based best practices, high quality, and sustainable costs. For more information about Intermountain, visit intermountainhealthcare.org.

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