News

ImproveCareNow tracks measures of care for young patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in our network. Recently, we reported a shift in our prednisone-free clinical remission measure from 80.3% to 81.5%. This improvement means 248 additional ICN patients have achieved prednisone-free clinical remission. Analysis by ICN's data team determined that 41 care centers contributed to this shift with documented improved results in this measure.

ImproveCareNow (ICN) has had enormous success since it began 17 years ago, increasing remission rates for thousands of young people with IBD, transforming how pediatric IBD care is provided, enlightening and exciting clinicians and other care providers, and engaging patients and parents in a shared purpose and work. We are pleased to share our ImproveCareNow 2023-2024 Annual Update, which includes highlights and achievements from 2023 and plans for our continued work to improve health, care, and costs for young people with IBD in 2024 and beyond.

ImproveCareNow is very pleased to have welcomed two new care centers to the network in 2023:  

• Golisano Children's Hospital of Southwest Florida
• Holtz Children's Hospital at University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center

ImproveCareNow tracks measures of care for young patients with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis in our network. Our Success is an infographic we use to share some of our key measurable results and show you what we have achieved together. Recently, we reported a shift in our Sustained Remission measure from 57% to 59%. This improvement means 117 additional ICN patients have not only achieved clinical remission, they have sustained it for at least one year.

ImproveCareNow is pleased to be an official partner of the 2024 Crohn’s & Colitis Congress®, which is a partnership of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation and the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA). The Crohn’s & Colitis Congress will take place on January 25-27, 2024, at the Bellagio in Las Vegas.

According to the 2023-2024 U.S. News & World Report (USNWR) rankings, ImproveCareNow (ICN) care centers are among the best children’s hospitals in the nation, ranking at the top of the Honor Roll and in the Gastroenterology & GI Surgery specialty. USNWR rankings are based on a reputational survey sent to pediatric specialists and a data survey that is sent to a handpicked set of hospitals.

ImproveCareNow (ICN) is a Learning Health Network that enables patients, families, clinicians and researchers to work together to accelerate innovation, discovery and the application of new knowledge.

ICN’s Outcomes registry is a key enabler of new research and innovation for our community. To date, more than 27,000 patients have given their consent for their data to be used for research in support of ICN’s mission to improve outcomes for children and adolescents with IBD.

ImproveCareNow (ICN) is pleased to announce that Missy Ketchum has been elected to the role of Chair of the Board of Directors beginning on July 1.  Missy will be replacing Howard Baron, MD, FAAP who has served as Chair of the Board since 2020, and a member of the ICN Board for upwards of 10 years. Howard will be missed on the Board but his leadership in ICN will continue both as a member of the Physician Leadership Group and a site lead for his own care center.  

ImproveCareNow (ICN) is excited to share the findings from a years-long clinical trial COMBINE (Clinical Outcomes of Methotrexate Binary treatment with INfliximab or adalimumab in practice). The aim of this trial was to study if treatment with a single anti-TNF medication (infliximab and adalimumab) or dual therapy that includes methotrexate is more effective in children with moderate to severe Crohn’s disease.   

ImproveCareNow has been integral to this clinical trial from the beginning, including leading a research prioritization project in which the aim of this study was a top priority for members of the ICN community, to voting for the name of the study at the 2015 Community Conference. ICN care centers recruited for participation in this trial were vital to its success.  

Below is an excerpt from an article highlighting the key takeaways of this important trial from Principal Investigator Mike Kappelman, MD, MPH’s care center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  

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