Kentucky Ambulatory Network (KAN) is a primary care practice-based research network founded in 2000 by REACH Director Kevin Pearce, MD, MPH, Department of Family and Community Medicine, to enhance the ability of practice-based clinicians to deliver quality care to patients through (1) collaborative research conducted in their practices, and (2) translation of evidence into primary care practice. KAN involves practitioners in the design and conduct of research, increasing the likelihood that research projects will influence practice.
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KAN members include over 280 community-based primary care practitioners, all seven family medicine residency programs in Kentucky, and faculty members from UK and the University of Louisville.
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Eighty percent of KAN clinicians are family physicians; general internists and nurse practitioners comprise the balance.
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KAN members provide care to an estimated 450,000 patients each year.
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Approximately 75 percent of KAN clinicians practice in rural areas in small groups; participating practices represent 70 of 120 Kentucky counties, including 31 of the state's 51 Appalachian counties.
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Most KAN member practices have fewer than six clinicians, reflecting the environment where most Americans get their primary health care.
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Recent KAN research topics include practice content, social support in cardiovascular risk reduction, cancer screening, information technology use, complementary and alternative medicine in primary care, and systems-oriented quality improvement in practice.
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KAN recently received a Health Resources and Services Administration award – Serving the Community: Family Medicine Education and Research – in the amount of $855,008 for the period September 2008 to August 2008, to enhance research capacity, educational programs, and membership in KAN.
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