Improving specialist care and transplant referrals for Veterans with advanced kidney or liver disease
Optimizing Specialty Care Access for Veterans with End-Stage Organ Diseases
This project will find ways to help Veterans with advanced kidney or liver disease get referred to specialists and transplant teams sooner.
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-11220698 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If I am a Veteran with advanced kidney disease or decompensated cirrhosis, this work looks at why I may not be getting referred to a specialist or for transplant evaluation. The team will review VA medical records and referral patterns, talk with patients and clinicians, and examine clinic and system-level processes that affect referrals. They will combine patient-, provider-, and system-level information to identify barriers and missed opportunities. Findings will be used to design targeted strategies to improve timely and appropriate specialty care and transplant evaluation.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Veterans with advanced chronic kidney disease or decompensated cirrhosis who receive care within the VA health system are the primary candidates for this work.
Not a fit: People without advanced kidney or liver disease, non-Veterans, or Veterans who do not receive care through the VA are unlikely to be affected directly by this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this could increase timely specialist visits and transplant evaluations for Veterans, potentially improving treatment options and survival.
How similar studies have performed: Previous studies show that specialist care is linked to better outcomes, but few projects have systematically targeted patient-, provider-, and system-level referral barriers, so this combined approach is relatively novel.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- Veterans Health Administration — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Adams, Megan Adkins — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Adams, Megan Adkins
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.