Improving how VA heart doctors' performance is measured
Official title: Improving Performance Evaluation of Clinicians to Support National Standards of Practice
Funded at VA Puget Sound Healthcare System · NIH-11264645 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project measures new ways to track how well VA cardiology clinicians follow care standards to help make veterans' heart care safer and more consistent.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | VA Puget Sound Healthcare System NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Seattle, United States) |
| Project start | January 1, 2023 |
| Project end | December 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003653-04 |
| Project ID | NIH-11264645 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Veterans who receive outpatient cardiology care at participating VA centers (whose medical records are available in the VA CART system) are the patients whose records may be included.
✕Less likely to help
Patients who do not receive cardiology care or who get care outside participating VA medical centers are unlikely to be directly affected by this project.
What this research studies
If you're a veteran getting outpatient heart care, this project looks at new methods the VA can use to review clinician performance using existing chart data and case-based peer review. Researchers will compare the reliability and validity of current cardiology quality measures pulled from the CART tracking system with structured peer review of clinical cases. They will combine chart abstraction, data analysis, and clinician feedback to build practical tools for ongoing professional practice evaluations. The aim is to create national standards that make performance reviews more efficient and more likely to improve patient care.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, the work could lead to clearer national standards that improve consistency, safety, and quality of heart care for veterans.
How similar studies have gone: Cardiology already has evidence-based quality measures and tracking systems, but applying them to validate clinician-level performance and outpatient case-based peer review in the VA is relatively new.
Where this research is happening
-
VA Puget Sound Healthcare System
Seattle, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Doll, Jacob a — VA Puget Sound Healthcare System
- Study coordinator: Doll, Jacob a
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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.