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JoAnn M. Sperl-Hillen, MD
Retired Senior Research Investigator

About

Her work focuses on improving outcomes for patients with diabetes and chronic diseases through approaches that include: (1) use of information technology and electronically captured health data to facilitate better decision making between providers and patients, 2) strategies to support patient adherence to recommended treatments, and (3) better ways to engage and educate providers and patients. She conducts health care delivery research and clinical trials in diabetes, prediabetes, hypertension, lipids, cardiovascular risk reduction, cancer prevention, and opioid use disorder.

Overview

geographic focus

  • Minnesota  State or Province

    • Affiliation

    positions

  • Senior Investigator, HealthPartners Institute 2000 -

    • has collaborator

  • Margolis, Karen L., MD, MPH  Senior Research Investigator

    • Publications While At HealthPartners

    selected publications

    Journal Article
  • Clinical decision support and cardiometabolic medication adherence: a randomized clinical trial. 
    JAMA network open. 2025
    Article has an altmetric score of 10
  • A CKD clinical decision support system: a cluster randomized clinical trial in primary care clinics. 
  • Protocol of a patient randomized clinical trial to improve medication adherence in primary care. 
  • Adoption of shared decision-making and clinical decision support for reducing cardiovascular disease risk in community health centers. 
    JAMIA open. 2023
    Article has an altmetric score of 1
  • Design of a pragmatic clinical trial to improve screening and treatment for opioid use disorder in primary care. 
    • Editorial Article
  • Risk and benefit information and use of aspirin [editorial]. 
    JAMA internal medicine.  177. 2017
  • Strategies to prioritize clinical options in primary care [editorial]. 
  • How clinical pharmacists can improve outpatient diabetes care [editorial]. 
    Diabetes Management (London, England).  4. 2014
  • Personalized and prioritized diabetes treatment recommendations to reduce cardiovascular risk [editorial]
    2014
  • Patient preferences in diabetes care: overcoming barriers using new strategies [editorial]. 
    • Chapter
  • Cardiovascular complications of diabetes. 
    The art and science of diabetes self-management education desk reference. 2014
  • Advances in Patient Safety Clinical Inertia and Outpatient Medical Errors. 
    Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation (Volume 2: Concepts and Methodology). 2005
  • Advances in Patient Safety Identification, Classification, and Frequency of Medical Errors in Outpatient Diabetes Care. 
    Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation (Volume 1: Research Findings). 2005
  • Advances in Patient Safety SimCare: A Model for Studying Physician Decisionmaking Activity. 
    Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation (Volume 4: Programs, Tools, and Products). 2005
  • Clinical inertia and outpatient medical errors. 
    Advances in Patient Safety: From Research to Implementation. 2005
    • Conference Paper
  • Cost-effectiveness of EMR-based clinical decision support [presentation
    2011
    • Conference Poster
  • A clinical decision support system promotes shared decision-making and cardiovascular risk factor management [poster]
    2017
  • Aspirin for primary prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease: challenges to appropriate use [poster]
    2017
  • Can prioritized clinical decision support in primary care reduce cardiovascular risk? [poster]
    2017
  • Clinical decision support impact on overuse and underuse of aspirin for primary prevention of cardiovascular events [poster]
    2017
  • Impact of improving diabetes care on Quality adjusted Life Expectancy (QALE) and costs: a 40-year perspective [poster]
    2017
    • Report
  • Stakeholder-driven action plan for improving pain management, opioid use, and opioid use disorder treatment through patient-centered clinical decision support
    2019
  • Diagnosis and managment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults [health care guideline]
    2009
  • Diagnosis and managment of type 2 diabetes mellitus in adults [health care guideline]
    2008
    • Review
  • Priorities Wizard: multisite web-based primary care clinical decision support improved chronic care outcomes with high use rates and high clinician satisfaction rates [review]. 
  • Outpatient diabetes clinical decision support: current status and future directions [review]. 
  • Using data mining to predict errors in chronic disease care [review]
    2008
    • Abstract
  • Comparing change in systolic blood pressure with clinic-based care versus telehealth care in a pragmatic cluster-randomized trial (Hyperlink 3) [abstract]. 
  • Maximizing use of chronic disease clinical decision support in primary care clinics: lessons learned from randomized trials [abstract]. 
  • Medication adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic: preliminary data from the patient perspective [abstract]. 
  • Patients deciding on cancer screening and prevention using clinical decision support: "I wouldn't have thought about getting screened without it" [abstract]. 
  • Better care strategies are necessary to address poor medication adherence [abstract]. 
    Diabetes. 2020

    • presentations

    Presentation
  • A diabetes simulated physician learning program improved glucose control and is cost-effective [presentation], CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Diabetes Translation Conference 2011 - Changing the Course of Diabetes: Optimizing Health for All
  • A diabetes simulated physician learning program improved glucose control and is highly cost-effective [presentation], Minnesota Health Services Research 15th Annual Conference
  • A machine learning approach to improving process control [presentation], Workshop on Information Technologies and Systems (WITS) (19th)
  • A study to evaluate a novel group dialogue experience to educate and activate patients with established diabetes [presentation], American Diabetes Association (ADA) 68th Scientific Sessions
  • Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD): implementing new findings [presentation], American Association of Diabetes Educators 35th Annual Meeting and Exhibition
    • Workshop
  • Designing outpatient clinical decision systems for high-use rates, provider satisfaction, and improved care: lessons from meta-analyses and experience [workshop], AMIA (American Medical Informatics Association) 2018 Clinical Informatics Conference

    • Research

    research overview

  • Her work focuses on improving outcomes for patients with diabetes and chronic diseases through approaches that include: (1) use of information technology and electronically captured health data to facilitate better decision making between providers and patients, 2) strategies to support patient adherence to recommended treatments, and (3) better ways to engage and educate providers and patients. She conducts health care delivery research and clinical trials in diabetes, prediabetes, hypertension, lipids, cardiovascular risk reduction, cancer prevention, and opioid use disorder.

    • Contact

    full name

  • JoAnn M. Sperl-Hillen, MD

    • Geographic Focus

    Quick Info

    Publications

    Collaboration