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ACTION II Task Orders Awarded in 2012


ACTION II is a model of field-based research designed to promote innovation in health care delivery by accelerating the diffusion of research into practice. The ACTION II network includes 17 large partnerships and more than 350 collaborating organizations that provide health care to an estimated 50 percent of the U.S. population.

Select for the ACTION II Fact Sheet.


Patient Safety

Title: Implementation of TeamSTEPPS in Primary Care Settings 
Description: The overall goal of this project is to improve patient care by optimizing teamwork in the primary care setting. Using a TeamSTEPPS module previously developed specifically for the primary care setting, this project will implement and evaluate training of facilitators and facilitator capabilities to implement TeamSTEPPS at the practice sites. Another objective is to revise and update the TeamSTEPPS training module and toolkit based on lessons learned.
Partner: HRET
Project Contact: Steve Hines, PhD (shines3@aha.org)
Period: September 2012-September 2015
Funding: $1,755,060
Deliverables: Updated TeamSTEPPS module and toolkit for primary care settings

Title: Development and Demonstration of a Surgical Unit-based Safety Program in Ambulatory Surgery to Reduce Surgical Site Infections and Other Surgical Complications
Description: The purpose of this task order is to measurably reduce surgical site infections (SSIs) and other major surgical complications in ambulatory surgery through effective national implementation of a proven Surgical Safety Checklist and development and implementation of a Surgical Unit-based Safety Program in Ambulatory Surgery (SUSP-AS). Under this task order, the contractor will:

  • Modify the Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) protocol and materials to be applied to SSIs and other surgical complications in ambulatory surgery.
  • Recruit States and ambulatory surgery centers within States to demonstrate the utility of applying SUSP-AS to SSIs and other surgical complication in a phased manner (beginning with 10 States and 10 ambulatory surgery centers in each participating State, then in subsequent option years expanding to all States, Puerto Rico, and the District of Columbia).
  • Expand or enhance existing statewide consortia efforts, Hospital Engagement Networks (HENs), and/or Quality Improvement Organizations to reduce healthcare-associated infections, especially SSIs, and other surgical complications in ambulatory surgery.

Partner: HRET
Project Contact: Steve Hines, PhD (shines3@aha.org)
Period: September 2012-September 2014 (option +1 year 2015)
Funding: $4,563,338
Deliverables: SUSP Protocol and related training and other materials (course design guide and educational toolkit); recruitment plans, operating plans, new survey on patient safety culture for ambulatory surgery centers; Annual Reports

Title: On-Time Falls Prevention Evaluation
Description: This project will:

  • Implement the On-Time Falls Prevention Program in a large nursing home chain.
  • Evaluate the On-Time Falls Prevention Program by assessing the extent to which the program reduces falls incidence rates, emergency room visits, and hospitalizations of patients in facilities that have implemented the program, compared to preintervention rates and compared to rates from a set of control facilities.
  • Assess the extent to which the On-Time Falls risk assessment and risk reduction strategy results in improvements in care processes, and the On-Time electronic root cause approach results in improved care processes and structures.

Partner: Abt Associates
Project Contact: Andrea Hassol, MSPH (andrea_hassol@abtassoc.com)
Period: June 2012-December 2013
Funding: $731,435
Deliverables: Final report, manuscripts

Title: Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Health Care Quality and Safety in the Hospital Setting: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation (Follow-on to ACTION I project)
Description: This project will:

  • Evaluate the implementation of the Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Health Care Quality and Safety in the Hospital Setting in three hospital settings.
  • Disseminate the guide.

Partner: AIR
Project Contact: Kristin Carman (kcarman@air.org)
Period: September 2012-September 2013
Funding: $193,561
Deliverables: Final report, final guide

Heath Information Technology

Title: Using Health IT in Practice Redesign: Impact of Health IT on Workflow
Description: The purpose of this project is to conduct methodologically rigorous research studies of health IT implementation to support practice redesign in ambulatory care settings and to enhance understanding of the causal relationships between health IT and workflow processes. More specifically, the research studies will address gaps and limitations of existing research study designs and findings by:

  • Using formal and well-specified data and rigorous research designs.
  • Focusing on understudied U.S.-based ambulatory care settings.
  • Explicitly evaluating how the sociotechnical context of health IT implementation and use to support practice redesign may mediate the impact of health IT on workflow.

Three task orders were awarded:

Partner: RTI
Project Contact: Douglas Kamerow, MD, MPH (dkamerow@rti.org)
Period: June 2012-May 2015
Funding: $799,928
Deliverables: Final report

Partner: Billings
Project Contact: Elizabeth Ciemins, PhD, MPH (eciemins@billingsclinic.org)
Period: June 2012-May 2015
Funding: $799,014
Deliverables: Final report

Partner: Abt Associates
Project Contact: Andrea Hassol, MSPH (andrea_hassol@abtassoc.com)
Period: June 2012-May 2015
Funding: $774,162
Deliverables: Final report

Title: Improving Sickle Cell Transitions of Care Through Health Information Technology: Phase 1
Description: The goal of this task order is to gain the necessary background knowledge that would lead to the development of a useful, patient-directed tool for improving transitions of care for persons with SCD. Under this task order, the contractor will:

  • Perform an environmental scan.
  • Conduct one or more focus groups to gather information about what stakeholders would need, want, and find most useful about a care transition tool designed for persons with SCD.
  • Provide recommendations for design considerations based on 1 and 2 above.
  • Provide recommendations for next steps in tool development.

Partner: Lewin
Project Contact: Carol Simon, PhD (carol.simon@lewin.com)
Period: August 30, 2012-May 2014
Funding: $630,811
Deliverables: Environmental scan report, focus group report, final recommendations report

Value

Title: Improving High Value and Efficiency Culture Surveys
Description: To design and test a High Value and Efficiency Culture Survey, as well as a "Communicating about Value" checklist for physicians. These will be tested across a variety of organizations in the ACTION II Network.
Partner: HRET
Project Contact: Steve Hines, PhD (shines3@aha.org)
Period: August 2012-July 2014
Funding: $1,061,722
Deliverables: Two survey instruments and a checklist; final report; manuscripts

Prevention/Care Management

Title: Improving the Emergency Department (ED) Discharge Process Description
Partner:
JHU
Description: This project seeks to improve the ED discharge process in order to reduce potentially avoidable ED revisits and better serve patient needs, with a particular focus on identifying tools that facilitate or support improved communication and connection with primary care services or other appropriate followup services. Under this task order, the contractor will:

  • Perform a scan to identify existing challenges to effective ED discharge and tools or approaches for addressing them.
  • Recommend two to four tools or approaches for improving the ED discharge process that specifically address distinctive challenges associated with this particular setting.
  • Prototype and test of one or more specific tools or approaches in a limited number of EDs.
  • Based on testing, provide recommendations for refining the tool.

Project Contact: Julius Pham (jpham3@jhmi.edu)
Period: September 2012-March 2015
Funding: $677,031
Deliverables: Environmental scan report; prototype ED discharge tool; final report with recommendations for further action

Page last reviewed November 2012
Page originally created November 2012

The information on this page is archived and provided for reference purposes only.

 

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