# Using EHR Data to Evaluate the Burden of Diabetes Mellitus in a National Network of Children's Hospital Health Systems

> **NIH ALLCDC U18** · CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA · 2020 · $249,531

## Abstract

Title: Using EHR Data to Evaluate the Burden of Diabetes Mellitus in a National Network of
Children’s Hospital Health Systems
Project Summary/Abstract
Diabetes mellitus is a group of disorders characterized by hyperglycemia resulting from defects in
insulin production, insulin action, or both. In children and adolescents 0-17 years-old, pediatric
diabetes mellitus (PDM) is one of the more common chronic diseases. Mounting evidence suggests
that rates of both Type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents have been increasing
over the past 30 years. Nonetheless, there has been limited research on how these rates differ by
sociodemographics (e.g., race/ethnicity, geography) and clinical characteristics (e.g., body mass
index) across diverse regions of the US. To help fill this gap, the proposed project will use electronic
health record (EHR) data to assess the prevalence and incidence of PDM, overall and by diabetes type
and patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. Data will come from PEDSnet, a national
pediatric clinical research network that has transformed EHR data to a common data model for over
6.5 million children. PEDSnet includes 8 pediatric medical centers that provide care to children in all
50 states; however, the 11 states with the greatest concentration of children are: CO, DE, FL, IL, IN,
KY, MO, NJ, OH, PA, and WA. In addition to participating in the DiCAYA consortium, we propose:
(Aim 1)—to evaluate and improve the quality of the EHR data that will be used for identifying
patients with PDM; (Aim 2)—to implement an EHR-based computable phenotype methodology for
each type of PDM to support accurate, efficient, and timely surveillance; and, (Aim 3) to compute
prevalence and incidence rates of PDM, overall and by diabetes type and patient sociodemographic
and clinical characteristics. Aim 1 (data quality) will take advantage of PEDSnet’s well-established
data quality program that evaluates both structural and semantic data quality and works with
institutional data contributors to remediate data quality problems. Aim 2 (Computable Phenotyping)
will implement validated algorithms for identifying children and adolescents with PDM. And, the
denominator population for Aim 3 (Rate Computations) will be patients who reside in one of the 62
counties for which PEDSnet has representative data and who have >1 contacts with a PEDSnet
institution during the observation period. We plan to harmonize our methods with the rest of the
DiCAYA consortium to enable standardized assessments of disease rates. Our team has extensive
experience working in consortia, such as PCORnet and OHDSI, that share and execute each other’s
data science methods. Our attention to evaluating and improving EHR data quality, constructing and
testing pediatric EHR-based computable phenotypes, and use of a national network of major
pediatric medical centers are key strengths of this proposal.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10085529
- **Project number:** 1U18DP006521-01
- **Recipient organization:** CHILDREN'S HOSP OF PHILADELPHIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Charles Bailey
- **Activity code:** U18 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $249,531
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-09-30 → 2025-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10085529

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10085529, Using EHR Data to Evaluate the Burden of Diabetes Mellitus in a National Network of Children's Hospital Health Systems (1U18DP006521-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10085529. Licensed CC0.

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