Surgical care quality across VA and community providers
Assessing Episode-Based Surgical Quality in VA and Community Care Settings
This project looks at how the full surgical care journey—from presurgical planning to recovery—compares for Veterans treated inside VA hospitals versus VA-purchased community providers.
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-11318971 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
If you are a Veteran who has surgery through the VA or via community providers the VA pays for, this project will use VA and community care records to group services into defined surgical episodes and track what happens before, during, and after surgery. Researchers will measure timeliness, coordination, possible overuse or underuse of services, and outcomes across the whole episode of care. They will compare those episode-based measures between VA and community settings to find gaps and differences. The findings aim to inform changes that improve continuity, safety, and value across the surgical journey for Veterans.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal candidates are Veterans who receive surgical care through VA facilities or through VA-purchased community providers, including those with presurgical visits and postoperative follow-up.
Not a fit: People who are not Veterans or who get all their surgical care entirely outside the VA/community care system likely would not see direct benefits from this project.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help make surgical care more timely, better coordinated, and safer for Veterans by identifying and fixing gaps across the entire care episode.
How similar studies have performed: Programs like the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program have improved postoperative outcomes, but applying episode-based measures across the full surgical pathway—especially comparing VA and community care—is newer and less tested.
Where this research is happening
Ann Arbor, United States
- Veterans Health Administration — Ann Arbor, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sears, Erika D — Veterans Health Administration
- Study coordinator: Sears, Erika D
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.