IROC (Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative)

What IROC (Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative) does

IROC (Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative, Inc.) is an independent U.S. nonprofit operating a national Learning Health Network dedicated to improving long-term outcomes for children with kidney transplants. Founded in 2016 by 15 pediatric transplant centers led by Dr. David K. Hooper at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, the network has grown to 44 transplant programs spanning 38 of the 50 hospitals recognized in U.S. News & World Report's 2025-26 pediatric nephrology rankings, including 9 of the top 10. IROC partners patients, families, clinicians, and researchers to implement quality improvement cohorts focused on three priorities: appropriate blood pressure measurement and control, reduction of acute allograft rejection, and quality of life for patients and caregivers.

IROC's core technological infrastructure is the IROC Outcomes Data Registry, a longitudinal clinical outcomes registry hosting over 3,000 active pediatric kidney transplant patients, operated on the Hive Networks HIVE platform. The registry underpins the IROC Community Platform ("The Hub," accessible at iroc.hivenetworks.com/phlox), which serves as the shared workspace for member care teams, and is operationalized through the Pathway to Mastery quality improvement framework, the monthly Jens Goebel Collaborative Case Series for medical directors, and bi-annual Learning Sessions (Spring virtual and Fall in-person). The organization is incorporated in Cincinnati, Ohio, and remains operationally affiliated with Cincinnati Children's Hospital and Medical Center. Corporate partnerships with Alnylam, Apellis, CareDx, Natera, Takeda, BioPorto, and the Children's Organ Transplant Association support learning sessions and annual funding.

IROC is funded through a diversified nonprofit revenue model: recurring contributions from member transplant programs, annual partnership contributions from pharmaceutical and medical technology sponsors, learning session sponsorships, philanthropic donations, and grant funding. Membership and partnership growth is community-led and pursued through clinical conferences, peer referrals, the IROC Family Partners caregiver workgroup, and earned recognition in U.S. News & World Report rankings. The organization underwent a three-year transition to independent nonprofit status, completed a leadership change in October 2025 with the appointment of Lindsey deMaintenon, MBA as Executive Director succeeding RaeAnne Davis, and expanded its Board of Directors with new clinical, patient-advocacy, legal, and operational expertise in 2024 and early 2026.

Name

IROC (Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative)

Legal name

Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative, Inc.

Website

https://irocnow.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

IROC (Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative) is an independent U.S. nonprofit Learning Health Network that operates a shared clinical outcomes registry and quality improvement program for 44 pediatric kidney transplant programs across the United States, serving children's hospitals, clinicians, researchers, and transplant patients and families.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cincinnati

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Philanthropy and Donations: Tax-deductible donations from individuals, families, and friends supporting the nonprofit mission. Donations are accepted through givebutter.com platform and Kroger Community Rewards program.
2. Annual Partnership Contributions: Annual partnership contributions from corporate sponsors including pharmaceutical and medical technology companies that support the network year-round.
3. Learning Session Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships from pharmaceutical and healthcare companies (Alnylam, Apellis, CareDx, Natera, Takeda, BioPorto) supporting network learning events and educational activities.
4. Member Site Contributions: Participating pediatric transplant centers contribute to network operations, having invested in IROC's development as a collaborative.
5. Grant Funding: Grant funding from foundations and research entities to support quality improvement projects and research initiatives within the network infrastructure.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

IROC is a national Learning Health Network that partners pediatric kidney transplant programs, families, clinicians, and researchers to improve outcomes for children with kidney disease. Its core deliverable is the IROC Outcomes Data Registry and Community Platform (The Hub), which together capture longitudinal outcomes data for over 3,000 active patients and underpin collaborative quality improvement, research, and benchmarking across 44 member transplant programs.

Product overview

IROC (Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative) is a Learning Health Network that operates as a unified quality improvement and research collaborative rather than a traditional software product company. The core offering consists of the IROC Outcomes Data Registry (tracking over 3,000 pediatric kidney transplant patients) and the IROC Community Platform (The Hub), which together form the foundational infrastructure for network-wide data collection and quality improvement. These are supported by the Pathway to Mastery quality improvement framework and the Jens Goebel Collaborative Case Series educational program, with bi-annual Learning Sessions serving as the primary convening mechanism for network alignment and planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Jens Goebel Collaborative Case Series: A monthly forum for medical directors focused on shared learning through complex pediatric kidney transplant cases, established in memory of Dr. Jens Goebel, a co-founder and leader of IROC.

Products and services

• IROC Outcomes Data Registry Clinical outcomes registry tracking active pediatric kidney transplant patients across IROC member centers, serving as the foundational data infrastructure for quality improvement, research, and analytics at both network and individual center levels.
• IROC Community Platform (The Hub) Member-only online platform serving as the central hub for IROC network participants, providing access to registry data, learning resources, event registration, and collaborative tools for care teams across member centers.
• Pathway to Mastery Quality Improvement Program Structured quality improvement methodology and cohort-based program that guides IROC member centers through systematic improvement cycles to achieve optimal outcomes in pediatric kidney transplantation, including blood pressure control and acute rejection reduction.
• Jens Goebel Collaborative Case Series Monthly educational forum for medical directors featuring complex pediatric kidney transplant case presentations, designed to foster shared problem-solving and collective clinical insight across the IROC network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 38 of 50 USNWR Top Children's Hospitals for Nephrology participate in IROC, demonstrating recognition of IROC's value in hospital rankings
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Hive NetworkscoreTechnology or Integration · 2 May 2025Hive Networks is a key technology partner of IROC, providing the HIVE platform that powers the IROC Community Platform and Outcomes Data Registry. Hive Networks was acquired by Vora Ventures in May 2025 to enhance Hive's ability to transform care for rare and chronic disease communities through Learning Health Networks (LHNs). The acquisition aims to bring state-of-the-art technology and a sustainable business model to Hive, enabling IROC and other learning health networks to learn faster and more effectively improve health outcomes.
• Alnylam PharmaceuticalscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAlnylam Pharmaceuticals sponsored IROC's Fall 2025 Learning Session as a Gold Level + Exhibiting Sponsor and Silver Level + Exhibiting Sponsor for the Commercial Team. Alnylam is a biopharmaceutical company focused on RNA interference therapeutics.
• Apellis PharmaceuticalssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerApellis Pharmaceuticals was a Silver Level + Exhibiting Sponsor of IROC's Fall 2025 Learning Session. Apellis is a biopharmaceutical company developing therapies for rare and other diseases.
• CareDxsupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCareDx was a Silver Level + Exhibiting Sponsor of IROC's Fall 2025 Learning Session. CareDx specializes in transplant diagnostics and monitoring solutions.
• NaterasupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerNatera was a Silver Level + Exhibiting Sponsor of IROC's Fall 2025 Learning Session. Natera is a diagnostics company with a focus on cell-free DNA testing.
• Takeda PharmaceuticalssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerTakeda Pharmaceuticals was a Silver Level + Exhibiting Sponsor of IROC's Fall 2025 Learning Session. Takeda is a global pharmaceutical company.
• BioPorto DiagnosticssupportingGTM or Marketing PartnerBioPorto Diagnostics was the AV/Technology Sponsor of IROC's Fall 2025 Learning Session. BioPorto specializes in diagnostic products including NGAL tests for kidney injury detection.
• Children's Organ Transplant Association (COTA)supportingGTM or Marketing PartnerCOTA was the Parent and Patient Sponsor of IROC's Fall 2025 Learning Session. COTA is an organization dedicated to helping children and young adults who need a life-saving transplant.
• Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is the affiliated institution behind IROC. The organization originated as part of Cincinnati Children's and hosts learning sessions at the Cincinnati Westin Hotel. The website footer shows copyright 2026 Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.
• Learning Health Network (LHN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIROC is a Learning Health Network (LHN), collaborating within the LHN framework supported by Cincinnati Children's Anderson Center. The LHN model facilitates rapid problem-solving and quality improvement by sharing data, implementing quality improvement methods, and creating new standards of care.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• American Kidney Fund: Voluntary health organization providing financial assistance, education, and advocacy for kidney disease patients. Operates in the same kidney-disease space as IROC at broader population scale, with overlapping patient/family support but no LHN or registry capability.
• National Kidney Foundation: Large voluntary health organization covering the full spectrum of kidney disease (adult and pediatric) through advocacy, education, and research funding. Comparable nonprofit/grant-funded health mission at much broader scale and disease scope.

Direct peers

• Children's Oncology Group: NCI-funded pediatric cancer clinical trials and outcomes network across member institutions, with a long-standing patient registry and shared research infrastructure. Comparable as a multi-center pediatric LHN with a registry-driven research mission.
• ImproveCareNow: Pediatric Learning Health Network for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), operating on the same LHN model with QI cohorts, a patient registry, and shared learning sessions across member pediatric centers. Closest structural analog to IROC in operating model, membership structure, and value proposition.
• Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Therapeutic Development Network: Established rare-disease LHN coordinating pediatric CF clinical research and QI across accredited care centers. Highly comparable in operating model (multi-center network, shared data, sponsored research), though anchored in a single specialty and with a longer operating history.
• PEDSnet: PCORI-funded pediatric Learning Health Network spanning multiple children's hospitals with a multi-condition clinical data registry for research and QI. Operates on the same data-sharing, network-collaboration premise as IROC but across broader pediatric conditions rather than a single disease.
• Starzl Network for Pediatric Transplantation: Learning health network for pediatric solid organ transplant recipients, also founded out of a major children's hospital and focused on outcomes improvement in pediatric transplant. Directly comparable in mission, patient population, and QI/network collaboration model.

Emerging players

• NephCure Kidney International: Patient advocacy and research funding nonprofit focused on rare kidney diseases including nephrotic syndrome and FSGS. Comparable in mission space (improving pediatric kidney outcomes) and nonprofit funding model, but lacks IROC's LHN/registry operating layer.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@medicalmomsofnicu
• Xx.com/IROCNow
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irocnow

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about IROC (Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative)