Considerations for Interested Researchers

Over 100,000 responders and survivors have enrolled for health care services associated with 9/11 exposure. Learn about our member demographics on the Program Statistics Page. Read more about our Outreach Partners.

Clinical Centers of Excellence (CCEs) in the New York metropolitan area, and a Nationwide Provider Network (NPN) are contracted to provide medical monitoring and care to members. Pharmacy benefits are also available to eligible members through retail and mail order pharmacies.

CCEs and the NPN provide high quality health care, benefits counseling, and case management services to enrolled members. Health care services include health screening, diagnostics, medical monitoring, and treatment of health conditions certified by the WTC Health Program.

Several of the CCEs also work with the following clinical associations to provide residency training for occupational and environmental clinicians.

• Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics (AOEC),
• American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM), and
• NIOSH-funded Educational Resource Centers (ERCs)

The WTC Health Program works with the NYC WTC Health Registry and extramural researchers who are awarded federal research funds through a competitive process. Read about current and previous research projects through our funding dashboard.

Data Centers (DCs) receive, analyze, and report on standardized health surveillance and health screening tests for the corresponding member population. The data is used for program evaluation, quality improvement and research. Data Centers, in consultation with the CCES and Program staff, develop performance metrics to assess the quality of care and compliance with Program guidelines. Data is collected through annual standardized medical monitoring examinations and IRB-approved protocols.

Research observes chronic diseases in those adversely affected by the 9/11 attacks that are difficult to manage clinically. This research helps the Program define the mechanism of disease progression to help optimize clinical intervention.

Health surveillance and research studies continue to identify latent disease or unexpected courses of illness that might be attributable to 9/11 exposures. This informs program needs for rulemaking or administrative procedures that cover additional conditions.

Iterative process to evaluate and revise future research investment strategy in the context of program priorities and any advances in scientific and medical knowledge stemming from current investments. This involves a process of stakeholder input, scientific evaluation, and strategic planning.

The Program requires the DCs to develop or adopt existing medical guidelines that comport with principles of medical necessity and recognized standards of care. Standardized health surveillance protocols approved by the Program are implemented by CCEs and the NPN for health screening and medical monitoring.

Program staff monitor quality assurance metrics designed to measure key areas of program and contractor performance; including contract costs, federal spend plans, health care claims processing, member services, government reporting, and medical benefits.

Periodic CCE medical quality indicator reports DC work with CCEs to assess quality of services through the application of standardized medical quality indicators. The reports can signal when practice patterns are not consistent with expected standards of care so that the CCE can investigate and correct.

These reports summarize health care data to enable analysis of sub-cohorts of members by CCE, health condition or other demographic factor. These analyses would then inform needs for active surveillance or nested casecontrol studies to identify new linkages between health outcome and 9/11 exposure or other health burdens connected with certified conditions. These reports can also be used to tailor quality assurance efforts, program evaluation and quality improvement.