The Practice Innovation Network (PIN), based at UCSF, directs health care delivery research in emergency departments, urgent care clinics, and primary care practices. PIN investigators understand the need for quality, efficient ambulatory care and are dedicated to improving patient-centered care in the outpatient setting. To accomplish this goal, the PIN tests the potential of computer-assisted technologies that expedite patient triage, diagnosis, and treatment during acute care visits across outpatient settings.

To date the PIN has introduced and evaluated hardware and software solutions that measure and reduce emergency room overcrowding, speed the diagnosis of uncomplicated acute illnesses, and provide access to preventive health services during acute care visits.

In the short video below, Ralph Gonzales, professor of medicine at UCSF, discusses a computer-based diagnostic for urinary tract infection (UTI), the first technology application piloted by the PIN. This technology is only one of many innovations that are poised to improve patient access to better, faster, and less costly health care.