Regional Data Exchange to Improve Care for Veterans after Non-VA Hospitalization

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 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Background: Among older VA patients who have Medicare coverage, 43% use both VA and non-VA (Medicare-covered) services. VA and non-VA providers are often uninformed about encounters, treatments and test results provided in the other system. In particular, the absent or delayed notification of a non-VA hospital encounter is a missed opportunity for the VA to provide post-hospital transitional care services that have been shown to be effective in preventing adverse events and hospital readmission after hospital discharge. Objectives: The overall objective of this project is to examine the effectiveness, cost, and implementation acceptance of VA provider notification of non-VA hospitalization or emergency department (ED) visit using electronic health information exchange (HIE), with or without provision of evidence-based post-hospital transitional care services. Specific Aim 1 is to examine the impact of these approaches on preventing hospital admission or readmission as the primary outcome, and, as secondary outcomes, increasing provider follow-up, improving patient's condition self-knowledge, and preventing medication errors after discharge. Specific Aim 2 is to examine the effect of these approaches on VA and non-VA costs. Specific Aim 3 is to examine the acceptance of these approaches among VA and non-VA stakeholders. Methods: The study sample consists of veterans followed in geriatrics or primary care clinics at the Bronx and Indianapolis VAs who are older than 65. We will monitor patients for non-VA hospital admission or ED visit using technology provided by regional HIE organizations (i.e., the Bronx Regional Health Information Organization and the Indiana Health Information Exchange). Patients will be cluster-randomized 1:1 to notification-plus-coordination or notification-only groups by PACT team, stratified by facility. For both groups the PACT provider will receive real-time notification of a non-VA hospital admission or ED visit if it occurs. For the notification-plus-coordination group, a care transitions coordinator will deliver coordination activities during a home and/or VA facility visit and via follow-up phone calls over 1 month. Coordination activities will consist of: reconciliation of and counseling on the patient's VA and non-VA medications, education on signs of condition worsening, coordination of VA and non-VA follow-up appointments, and counseling on communicating with VA and non-VA providers, using structured protocols. All information-gathering by the transitions coordinator will include the HIE as an information source. The notification-only group will receive usual care after the notification. Multivariable regression models will be estimated to compare effects of notification-plus-coordination versus notification-only on primary and secondary outcomes and costs (Aims 1 and 2). We will conduct interviews with intervention team members, patients, VA and non-VA staff, and other stakeholders to ascertain the barriers and facilitators to implementation of these approaches (Aim 3).