About
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System/UCLA
Project Title: Evaluating rurality and gaps in guideline directed care for Veterans with heart failure.
Mentors:
Michael K. Ong, MD, PhD – VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System/UCLA
Alison B. Hamilton, PhD, MPH – VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System/UCLA
Paul G. Shekelle, MD, PhD – VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System/UCLA
Paul A. Heidenreich, MD, MS – VA Palo Alto/Stanford
Donald S. Chang, MD, MPH – VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System/UCLA
Gregg C. Fonarow, MD – UCLA
Multidisciplinary Expertise:
Heart failure, quality of care, disparities, performance measurement, telehealth, implementation science
Project Description:
Heart failure is a highly prevalent chronic condition that is the leading cause of hospitalization for adults. A number of evidence-based medical practices improve the quality of life and decrease the risk of premature mortality in patients living with heart failure. Yet, gaps in the receipt of evidence-based, guideline-directed medical therapies (GDMT) remain. The VA is the largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S. and the leading provider of telehealth care. The use of telehealth to improve care for patients with heart failure has not been consistently demonstrated. This pilot project will evaluate how gaps in GDMT might relate to distance from cardiologists and access to care. Veterans living in rural regions of southern California with poor access or barriers to care will be evaluated for receptivity to telehealth visits and health home monitoring. Veterans will be recruited to pilot an intervention to optimize medical therapy for heart failure using established telehealth technologies.