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Advancing Decisions About Virtual Service Encounters

Not Applicable
Not yet recruiting
Conditions
Health Care Costs
Delivery of Health Care
Interventions
Behavioral: Clinician Coaching Sessions
Other: Personalized text messages to patients
Registration Number
NCT06539988
Lead Sponsor
VA Office of Research and Development
Brief Summary

Expanded availability of virtual care encounters in Primary Care provides new opportunities to improve Veterans' outcomes by aligning encounter modalities with their needs and preferences. Yet, Veterans and their Primary Care physicians (PCPs) lack personalized information about the benefits and costs of different Primary Care modalities that is needed to maximize the value of Primary Care encounters. To address this problem, in this study the investigators will use surveys and interviews to identify what Veterans and PCPs perceive to be the benefits and optimal uses of different Primary Care encounter modalities. They will then supplement their existing system for communicating encounter costs to Veterans and PCPs with new interactive messaging about benefits and optimal uses of different encounter modalities. Finally, this novel Advancing Decisions about Virtual Service Encounters (ADViSE) intervention will be optimized through user-centered refinement before evaluating its effects on Veteran-centered outcomes, use of virtual care, and intermediate health outcomes in a randomized controlled trial (RCT).

Detailed Description

The investigators will evaluate, in a stepped wedge cluster RCT, the effectiveness of the optimized ADViSE intervention, which will use interactive text messages for Veterans and point-of-care (POC) information and brief coaching for PCPs to help Veterans and their clinicians make well-informed decisions about available encounter types to meet each Veteran's needs and optimize the perceived value of their healthcare. A mixed methods stepped wedge cluster RCT will be conducted in which the optimized ADViSE intervention will be rolled out to PCPs and Veterans in each of 6 VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System (VAAAHS) Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACTs) in a randomly assigned order. For each Veteran participant, pre-post differences in outcomes during the 6-month intervention period will be compared to a 6-month pre-intervention control period.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
600
Inclusion Criteria
  • Veteran inclusion criteria are having an upcoming face-to-face (F2F), telephone, or VA Video Connect (VVC) appointment in the next 8 to 12 weeks
  • Having at least 3 Primary Care F2F, telephone, or VVC encounters in the previous 12 months
  • Able to provide informed consent
  • Willing and able to receive text messages from the VA Patient Engagement, Tracking, and Long-term Support (PETALS) platform
Exclusion Criteria
  • Veteran exclusion criteria are a CDW diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment, dementia, or a psychotic disorder

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
CROSSOVER
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
Receiving the optimized ADviSE InterventionClinician Coaching Sessions6 months of selected text messages from a library developed and refined in previous study aims.
Receiving the optimized ADviSE InterventionPersonalized text messages to patients6 months of selected text messages from a library developed and refined in previous study aims.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Veterans' perceptions of the value of their healthcare6 months prior to intervention and 6-months post intervention

Measured by survey at baseline and intervention end

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Blood pressure (BP) < 140/90 among Veterans with diabetes6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Electronic quality measure (eQM) measured using CDW data

Flu vaccine receipt among Veterans6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Electronic quality measure (eQM) measured using CDW data

Copay costs for Veterans6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Measured using CDW data

Face-to-Face (F2F) encounters with assigned Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)6 months prior to intervention and 6-months post intervention

Measured using CDW data

Veterans' satisfaction with healthcare6 months prior to intervention and 6-months post intervention

Measured by survey at baseline and intervention end

Veterans' preferences for virtual care6 months prior to intervention and 6-months post intervention

Measured by survey at baseline and intervention end

Total healthcare-associated costs for Veterans6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Sum of copay costs, travel costs, and time costs measured using CDW data

Travel costs for Veterans6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Measured using CDW data

Statin use among Veterans with ischemic heart disease6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Electronic quality measure (eQM) measured using CDW data

Breast cancer screening among female Veterans6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Electronic quality measure (eQM) measured using CDW data

Colon cancer screening among Veterans aged 45-756 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Electronic quality measure (eQM) measured using CDW data

VA Video Connect (VVC) encounters with assigned Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)6 months prior to intervention and 6-months post intervention

Measured using Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW) data

Hemoglobin A1c level <8% among Veterans with diabetes6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Electronic quality measure (eQM) measured using CDW data

Statin use among Veterans with diabetes6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Electronic quality measure (eQM) measured using CDW data

Time costs for Veterans6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Measured using CDW data

Telephone encounters with assigned Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT)6 months prior to intervention and 6-months post intervention

Measured using CDW data

Cervical cancer screening among female Veterans6 months prior to intervention and 6 months post intervention

Electronic quality measure (eQM) measured using CDW data

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI

🇺🇸

Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States

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