action
ACTION is a nonprofit pediatric heart failure quality-improvement network uniting 66+ North American clinical sites, patients, families, and device-industry partners through shared registries, ~40 harmonized clinical protocols, and collaborative research anchored at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersCincinnati, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What action does
ACTION (Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network) is a nonprofit, multi-center quality-improvement and research collaborative founded in 2017 and anchored at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. It operates a learning health system that unites pediatric cardiology centers, patients and families, clinicians, researchers, payors, and medical-device industry partners across 66 sites in North America to improve outcomes for pediatric heart failure patients—an annual population exceeding 14,000 hospitalizations in the United States alone.
The network's core technology is a registry-based data infrastructure built on REDCap and Simplified Clinical platforms, capturing longitudinal real-world data on VAD, heart failure, muscular dystrophy, and Fontan patient populations (2,178 total patients, 1,336 VAD patients as of October 2025). On top of this data layer, ACTION has developed nearly 40 consensus-based harmonized clinical protocols and a portfolio of patient- and provider-facing educational assets delivered through MyACTIONEducation.org, including device-specific handbooks, decision aids, and one-page summaries. The network has generated 50+ peer-reviewed publications since 2019 and has produced regulatory-grade evidence, including support for the FDA's expanded pediatric labeling of Abbott's HeartMate 3 LVAD and completion of the first prospective FDA-regulated pediatric VAD IDE trial with Berlin Heart.
ACTION is funded through research grants (notably a $2 million PPMD grant in June 2022), industry partnerships with device manufacturers including Abbott, Johnson & Johnson MedTech, Medtronic, Berlin Heart, Bayer, and Cytokinetics, and institutional support from Cincinnati Children's. It does not charge participation fees to network sites; revenue mechanics rely on philanthropy, sponsored research, and co-developed educational and clinical-trial assets. Customer-side stakeholders are the 66 participating clinical centers and the patient populations they serve; revenue-side stakeholders are a relatively concentrated set of foundation and industry sponsors.
action firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- action
- Legal name
- Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network
- Website
- https://actionlearningnetwork.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- ACTION is a nonprofit pediatric heart failure quality-improvement network uniting 66+ North American clinical sites, patients, families, and device-industry partners through shared registries, ~40 harmonized clinical protocols, and collaborative research anchored at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
action industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Pediatric Cardiology Research Network
- NAICS
- Child and Youth Services (62411), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Individual and Family Services (6241)
- SIC
- Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS) (BPAGACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated) (HLALABAJ), Family Care Navigation & Care Coordination Platforms (multi-member care plans, referrals) (HLALAHAL), Chronic Disease Management Pathways (e.g., diabetes, CHF, COPD) (HLACAGAG)
Keywords
Where action is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cincinnati
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
action business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Research Grants and Philanthropy: ACTION receives grant funding from organizations such as Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy ($2 million grant in 2022) to fund research initiatives, data collection, clinical trials, education, and collaboration across multiple sites.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
action product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ACTION operates a multi-center quality improvement and research collaborative network that unites pediatric heart failure patients, families, clinicians, researchers, payors, and medical device industry partners. The network runs interconnected real-world patient registries (VAD, Heart Failure, Muscular Dystrophy, Fontan) using REDCap and Simplified Clinical platforms, develops harmonized consensus-based clinical protocols, delivers education through MyACTIONEducation.org, and generates regulatory-grade evidence supporting FDA pediatric device approvals. Participation is center-based across 66 network sites in North America with no fees charged; funding comes from grants, industry sponsorships, and donations.
Product overview
ACTION (Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network) is a collaborative learning health system that unites healthcare experts, patients, families, clinicians, researchers, payors, and industry to improve outcomes for patients with heart failure. The network operates through multiple interconnected registries (VAD Registry, Heart Failure Registry, Muscular Dystrophy Registry, Fontan Registry) that collect real-world data to inform quality improvement projects, support FDA device label expansions, and develop harmonized clinical protocols. Patient and provider education is delivered through MyACTIONEducation.org and includes various handbooks, decision aids, and one-page summaries for specific devices and conditions.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MyACTIONEducation.org: Educational platform providing resources, protocols, and training materials for healthcare providers and patients
- ACTION Collaborative
Products and services
- ACTION Learning Network A collaborative quality improvement and research network uniting healthcare experts, patients, families, clinicians, researchers, payors, and industry partners to improve outcomes for pediatric and adult heart failure patients through registry data sharing and best practice harmonization.
- ACTION VAD Registry A multi-center registry capturing real-world data on pediatric ventricular assist device use, supporting device safety evaluation and contributing to regulatory evidence including FDA pediatric label expansions.
- ACTION Heart Failure Registry A registry collecting data on pediatric heart failure patients to inform quality improvement projects including medication titration standardization and patient-informed planning processes.
- ACTION Muscular Dystrophy Registry A registry for dystrophinopathy patients (Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy) tracking cardiac outcomes and supporting data-driven quality improvement projects to harmonize cardiac care.
- ACTION Fontan Registry A registry tracking outcomes for Fontan circulatory failure patients across network sites, supporting quality improvement projects to improve referral practices and patient outcomes.
- MyACTIONEducation.org An education portal providing harmonized protocols, device handbooks, decision aids, one-page summaries, and clinical training materials for healthcare providers, patients, and families in the ACTION network.
- Harmonized Clinical Protocols A library of approximately 40 consensus-based clinical protocols developed collaboratively across network sites by the Harmonization Committee, covering VAD/Mechanical Circulatory Support, heart failure, failing Fontan, and muscular dystrophy care to standardize practices across institutions.
Quantifiable outcome
- Reduced stroke rates in VAD patients through quality improvement initiatives
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use action
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
action technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature3 records
action partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- AbbottcoreACTION collaborated with Abbott on FDA labeling expansion for the HeartMate 3 LVAD for pediatric use, using ACTION registry data to demonstrate device safety and outcomes in children.
- Berlin HeartcorePartnership for the first prospective FDA-regulated pediatric cardiac device IDE trial using the ACTION Registry for the Berlin Heart EXCOR Active Driver, enrolling 40 patients at 15 ACTION sites.
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CentercoreFounding anchor institution serving as the coordinating center for the ACTION network, hosting the main registry infrastructure and leadership.
- Johnson & Johnson MedTechcoreCollaboration on Impella device education including co-branded One Page Summaries, patient education handbook, and algorithms & care guide for providers.
- Cardiac Networks UnitedcoreCollaborating organization including the Fontan Outcomes Network, working together on harmonizing care practices and improving Fontan patient outcomes.
- Children's Cardiomyopathy FoundationminorPartner organization collaborating on cardiomyopathy patient populations and congenital heart disease initiatives.
- Pediatric Heart Transplant SocietyminorCollaborating organization focused on pediatric heart transplant outcomes and research.
- Enduring HeartsminorPartner organization supporting congenital heart disease research and transplant outcomes.
- Transplant FamiliesminorPartner organization providing support and resources for transplant families.
- Additional VenturesminorCollaborating foundation supporting pediatric cardiac care initiatives.
- CVRx (Barostim)minorIndustry partner participating in ACTION's Igniting Cardiac Innovation meeting at ISHLT 2025.
- BiVACORminorCardiac device innovator participating in ACTION's Igniting Cardiac Innovation meeting at ISHLT 2025.
- CorKaleh Eskandanian/CobiCureminorPediatric device development initiative partner participating in ACTION innovation meetings.
- International Cardio-Oncology Society (IC-OS)minorPartner organization collaborating on Cardio-Oncology initiative to support individuals whose cancer treatments may affect their hearts.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
action competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- ImproveCareNow: Multi-center learning health system for pediatric IBD. Analogous community-led, registry-based QI model serving a different pediatric subspecialty; useful comparable for the network-collaborative operating model ACTION employs.
Broad incumbents
- INTERMACS: Established U.S. registry for mechanical circulatory support devices, primarily in adults. Comparable registry-based evidence-generation infrastructure for VAD/MCS, and a potential upstream/downstream partner or alternative for device manufacturers.
- PEDSnet: PCORI-funded pediatric clinical research network aggregating EHR data across children's hospitals. Comparable as a multi-site pediatric data/registry platform, though broader in scope and not cardiac-specialized.
Direct peers
- Pediatric Heart Transplant Society (PHTS): Multi-center collaborative registry for pediatric heart transplant outcomes. Comparable as a pediatric cardiac quality-improvement and research network serving the same clinician community and overlapping device/transplant patient populations.
- Fontan Outcomes Network: Pediatric/congenital registry network focused on Fontan patients, operating under Cardiac Networks United. Overlaps with ACTION's Fontan Registry on patient population, data infrastructure, and care harmonization.
- Cardiac Networks United: Umbrella collaborative that includes the Fontan Outcomes Network and other pediatric cardiac registries. Most directly comparable to ACTION as a multi-center pediatric cardiac learning health system that shares infrastructure and harmonization goals.
Others
- Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy: Disease-specific nonprofit and ACTION's largest disclosed grant funder ($2M, 2022). Comparable as a disease-advocacy organization whose funding priorities shape ACTION's muscular dystrophy research agenda.
- Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation: Nonprofit foundation focused on pediatric cardiomyopathy. Already an ACTION collaborator; comparable as a disease-specific advocacy/research organization supporting the same patient community and potential co-funding partner.
- Additional Ventures: Nonprofit foundation focused on single-ventricle congenital heart disease, supporting ACTION and Fontan Outcomes Network. Comparable as a philanthropic backer of pediatric cardiac QI infrastructure with overlapping mission.
Regional players
- EUROMACS: European registry for mechanical circulatory support. Comparable in registry design and VAD focus, but geographic complementarity offers an international expansion pathway for ACTION rather than direct head-to-head competition.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
action social profiles
Digital presenceaction financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
action leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
action subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
action funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
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action M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about action
What does action do?
ACTION operates a multi-center quality improvement and research collaborative network that unites pediatric heart failure patients, families, clinicians, researchers, payors, and medical device industry partners. The network runs interconnected real-world patient registries (VAD, Heart Failure, Muscular Dystrophy, Fontan) using REDCap and Simplified Clinical platforms, develops harmonized consensus-based clinical protocols, delivers education through MyACTIONEducation.org, and generates regulatory-grade evidence supporting FDA pediatric device approvals. Participation is center-based across 66 network sites in North America with no fees charged; funding comes from grants, industry sponsorships, and donations.
Is action a public or private company?
action is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was action founded?
action was founded in 2017. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is action based?
action is headquartered in Cincinnati, United States, in the North America region.
How does action make money?
One revenue line is on record: research Grants and Philanthropy.
Who are action's main competitors?
ImproveCareNow is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are INTERMACS and PEDSnet. Direct peers are Pediatric Heart Transplant Society (PHTS), Fontan Outcomes Network and Cardiac Networks United. Others are Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy, Children's Cardiomyopathy Foundation and Additional Ventures. EUROMACS is listed as a regional player.
Does action have an API?
No public API is recorded for action.
What industry is action in?
action's product category is Pediatric Cardiology Research Network. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAGACAA, Disease-Specific Research & Support (e.g., Cancer, Diabetes, ALS), with a secondary code of HLALABAJ, Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated). Its NAICS code is 62411 and its SIC code is 8090.