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. 2025 Apr;19(4):e70031.
doi: 10.1111/eip.70031.

Connection Learning Healthcare System Hub of the Early Psychosis Intervention Network: Program and Participant Characteristics

Monica E Calkins  1 , Megan Jumper  1 , Arielle Ered  1 , Fanghong Dong  1 , Deepak K Sarpal  2 , Krista K Baker  3 , Donna J Bencivengo  1 , Russell L Margolis  4 , Robert W Buchanan  5 , Yasmine Boumaiz  6 , Elizabeth Burris  7 , Philip D Campbell  1 , K N Roy Chengappa  2 , Catherine Conroy  1 , Akinyi Cooke  3 , Faith Dickerson  8 , Nyasia Flowers  3 , Mandy Fauble  9 , Richard W Goldberg  6   10 , Alexander Harvin  8 , Carolyn Howell  3 , Christian Kelly  11 , Julie Kreyenbuhl  6   10 , Lan Li  6 , Alicia Lucksted  6 , Jill A Marsteller  12 , Alexander Moxam  1   13 , Denise Namowicz  14 , Swati Nayar  2 , Jamie Oko  13 , Jessie Riggs  1 , Arunadevi Saravana  6 , Rachel Scheinberg  4 , William R Smith  1 , Richard States  9 , Timur Suhail-Sindhu  4 , Jerome Taylor  1   13 , Crystal L Vatza  1 , Max Wolcott  3 , Christian G Kohler  1 , Melanie E Bennett  6
Affiliations

Connection Learning Healthcare System Hub of the Early Psychosis Intervention Network: Program and Participant Characteristics

Monica E Calkins et al. Early Interv Psychiatry. 2025 Apr.

Abstract

Aim: Connection Learning Healthcare System, one of the eight hubs of the National Institute of Mental Health funded Early Psychosis Intervention Network, supports uniform data collection, analysis, feedback and infrastructure development to promote a culture of continuous quality improvement across 25 Coordinated Specialty Care programs serving young people experiencing first episode psychosis and their families in Maryland and Pennsylvania. This first report describes the hub and its constituent programs, the approach for developing and implementing a hub-wide core assessment battery harmonised with the national battery, and preliminary program and participant characteristics.

Methods: Our hub developed and implemented a computerised core assessment battery, administered every 6 months and developed an integrated system for managing and analysing data.

Results: Between 1 January 2021 and 27 November 2023, 1059 participants were newly admitted to a hub program. The entire cohort (N = 1381) included newly admitted participants and those already in a program as of 1 January 2021. A total of 1245 complete assessment batteries were collected across all time points from 797 participants, with an additional 1920 partially completed batteries collected from 1319 participants. Data are uploaded to the National Data Coordinating Center, where our hub is the third largest data contributor. Descriptive information on programs and participants is provided.

Conclusions: As part of our learning healthcare system to improve clinical services and outcomes across two states, we have successfully implemented a standardised, computerised core assessment battery of essential characteristics and clinical outcomes. Successes, challenges and recommendations for data collection are provided. This paper will serve as a vital methodological resource for users of the unprecedented Early Psychosis Intervention Network national research database seeking to accelerate and improve early psychosis research.

Keywords: EPINET; coordinated speciality care; early psychosis intervention network; first‐episode psychosis; learning health care system.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Connection Learning Healthcare System Hub program locations. Map of Coordinated Specialty Care Programs (numbered as in Table 1) participating in the Connection Learning Healthcare System Hub.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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