Better emergency department care and follow-up for Veterans
Improving Value through Comprehensive Episodes of Emergency Care for Veterans
This project will build ways to look at whole emergency care episodes to help Veterans with conditions like COPD get more coordinated care and follow-up after ED visits.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Veterans Health Administration NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Ann Arbor, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11318964 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you're a Veteran who goes to the emergency department, this work will examine the entire episode of care—from the ED visit through any hospital stay and follow-up—to find gaps and variation. The team will combine VA and community care records to map patterns of use, costs, and outcomes for common emergency conditions such as COPD, chest pain, and heart failure. They will create episode-of-care models to compare care across settings and identify where better coordination or follow-up could help. Results will be used to suggest practical changes to improve care and reduce unnecessary ED visits or hospital readmissions for Veterans.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: The focus is on Veterans who receive emergency care through the VA or in the community, especially those with COPD, heart failure, or chest pain.
Not a fit: People who are not Veterans or who do not have ED visits captured in VA or community records are unlikely to be affected by this work.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could lead to clearer care pathways, better follow-up after ED visits, fewer repeat visits or readmissions, and more efficient use of VA resources for Veterans.
How similar studies have performed: Episode-of-care methods have been used in other health settings, but applying them specifically to Veterans' emergency care and community-VA comparisons is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- Veterans Health Administration — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Kocher, Keith Eric — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Kocher, Keith Eric
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.