Learn, Engage, Act, Process (LEAP) for Personalized Weight Management Support (QUE 15-286)
Phase: NA
Conditions: Obesity
Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development

QUX 16-004, Learn, Engage, Act, Process (LEAP) for Personalized Weight Management Support (QUE 
15-286) 
 
NCT02825680 
 
Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan 
 
September 15, 2020 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

This study was conducted as a pragmatic stepped-wedge clustered randomized controlled trial designed as a 
non-research quality improvement initiative primarily to improve the quality of preventive services in the VA as 
part of an ongoing partnership with the VA National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (see 
letter from Linda Kinsinger, MD, MPH; Chief Consultant for Preventive Medicine). Given the non-research 
quality improvement designation, this study did not have a protocol reviewed by an Institutional Review Board, 
but the following is an excerpt from the study proposal which was peer reviewed and approved for funding in 
June 2015 as part of a VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative field program at the VA Ann Arbor 
Healthcare System (aka PROVE QUERI). This document provides an excerpt from the nationally reviewed 
proposal that describes the study aims, procedures, design, and analysis plan for this trial.  
For more details on study design and analysis, please visit: 
https://bookdown.org/revans_evans/leap_reach_analysis/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Excerpt from PROVE QUERI Program Proposal:  
Project #2: 
Learn. Engage. Act. Program (LEAP) for Personalized Weight Management Support 
1.0 Specific Aims 
Obesity and associated health conditions cause significant burden for Veterans, 78% of whom are 
overweight or obese. Treatment of overweight/obesity is a high priority for VHA as part of personalized, 
proactive, Veteran-driven care, outlined in the Blueprint for Excellence (BPE). The VA/DoD clinical practice 
guidelines (CPGs) for weight management recommend comprehensive lifestyle intervention (at least 12 
sessions in 12 months) as the foundation of treatment for overweight/obesity.139 
The MOVE!® weight management program was first disseminated in January 2006 through VHA’s National 
Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (NCP)140 and is one of the largest scale integrated 
weight management programs in the world. Several evaluations of the MOVE! program have shown 
significant, though modest, weight loss for participants141-143 and reduced incidence of diabetes.144  This is 
laudable, given the challenges in losing weight that face this population.141,142,145-147 Personalized coaching 
combined with high group cohesion among participants appear to consistently result in significantly longer 
engagement and higher weight loss.141,148 NCP recently disseminated revised guidelines for in-person 
group delivery of MOVE! (hereafter, referred to as New MOVE!), which is the cornerstone of the family of 
MOVE! weight management programs available to Veterans. New MOVE! has been redesigned to align 
with the new CPGs and formative findings from the VA Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) Clinical 
Demonstration Project.148 Implementation of New MOVE! is expected to increase Veteran engagement and 
outcomes through greater treatment intensity, stronger group cohesion, and a single consistent coach 
transitioning to a more personalized style of delivery using patient-centered coaching skills. 
NCP has a long history of providing program support to local MOVE! teams tasked with delivering MOVE!, 
and now with implementing New MOVE!, through monthly phone calls, quarterly education sessions and 
ad hoc technical assistance. Despite this, local programs often do not align with CPGs; they vary widely in 
the number of sessions offered and other key characteristics,101,149 often because of local organizational 
barriers.100,101,150  Providing more intensive systems redesign and implementation support to help local 
teams mitigate these barriers will help increase fidelity to New MOVE!. Higher fidelity to New MOVE! will 
improve weight outcomes,151,152 and a more effective program will help increase Veteran participation and 
continued engagement. This project will compare an enhanced form of NCP support plus the “Learn. 
Engage. Act. Program” (LEAP) versus enhanced NCP support alone.  
Aim 1: To develop three core products to enhance NCP support to VAMCs and to pilot LEAP in three 
VAMCs.  
H1:  Dissemination of products to enhance NCP support will improve MOVE! outcomes. 
Aim 2: To determine effectiveness of LEAP plus enhanced NCP support (LEAP+NCP) versus enhanced 
NCP support alone. 
H2: VAMCs with LEAP+NCP will have better MOVE! group outcomes than VAMCs with enhanced NCP 
support alone.  
Aim 3: To conduct formative and cost evaluations to refine design of LEAP and inform future scaling-up of 
LEAP.  
2.0  Rationale 
Since its inception in 2006, MOVE! has enjoyed relative success. However, the high burden of 
overweight/obesity in VHA creates an urgency to strive for greater improvements in MOVE! effectiveness with 
respect to system-wide outcomes and to decrease the high variation in MOVE! program characteristics and 
outcomes across VAMCs. VAMCs report high annual rates (95%)143,153 of obesity screening and brief 
counseling,153 which presents a key opportunity to engage Veteran who are candidates for MOVE!. Although 
VHA compares quite favorably in rates of individuals who initiate participation in a weight loss program – less 
than 6% initiate participation in weight loss programs in the general population,154 while 10-12%143 of MOVE! 
candidate Veterans do so – there is room for improvement. 

Figure 4 shows the wide variation 
in MOVE! group visit rates across 
VAMCs in FY2014. The highest-
ranked VAMC reported more than 
70 MOVE! group visits per 100 
candidate Veterans. However, 
several VAMCs appear not to 
have a viable MOVE! group 
program, reporting fewer than 10 
visits. One reason for high 
variation in aggregate visits may 
be variation in local organizational 
barriers. Our earlier work with 
three different lifestyle programs 
(MOVE!, TeleMOVE, and the 
Telephone Lifestyle Coaching 
(TLC) program) consistently 
revealed high variation in the 
presence of key organizational barriers, which affects viability of MOVE! group programming. In a recent 
NCP call with 79 MOVE! Coordinators, 99% expressed willingness to participate in a program aimed 
at providing more intensive support to implement New MOVE!. This dramatically high level of 
interest speaks to the strong need for additional support to assist with implementation. 
Our primary outcome of interest is the aggregate number of visits for MOVE! candidates who live within 40 
miles of their VAMC. This outcome can be improved by increasing the number of participants who 
complete at least one session and/or increasing the number of sessions completed by each participant. 
Improved group cohesion, a stronger relationship with a consistent coach, more personalized coaching, 
and opportunities to attend more sessions should increase these numbers, which will lead to better weight 
outcomes.155 Furthermore, engaging more Veterans in MOVE! will help VHA “transition from sick care to 
health care in the broadest sense” through more “personalized, proactive and patient-driven care that 
inspires Veterans to their highest possible level of health and well-being” (BPE Strategy 6).  
3.0  Procedures 
As described in our Implementation Core*, three core products will be developed in Year 1:  1) a Construct 
Assessment Tool; 2) a Barrier Busters Tool; and 3) a Program Intelligence Portal (Portal). These products 
will be made available online for use by MOVE! teams in all VHA facilities. Much of the work has already 
been done on the Construct Assessment and Barrier Busters Tools. Most of our tool development effort in 
the first year will be devoted to developing the Portal, which will draw on advanced methods for visually 
displaying data in a way that has meaning for local teams. For example, users might be interested in 
seeing geographic displays (e.g., choropleth maps) to visually display where MOVE! participants are 
coming from compared to non-participants, or longitudinal graphs of engagement and weight outcomes 
over time. In partnership with OABI, our team will develop a Portal for MOVE! that utilizes next-generation 
analytic and data visualization tools (e.g., Pyramid Analytics)156 available through the VA eQuality 
Measures (eQM) platform. The Portal will be developed using principles of user-centered design that will 
help to ensure it truly meets the needs of local teams.157-159 Each of the three products developed in the 
first year have been specifically chosen to address high-priority gaps. In fact, NCP is so eager to 
embrace these tools we are making them available online to all sites in Year 2 and will evaluate their 
effectiveness via interrupted time-series analyses (described below). 
Posting products online is likely to achieve only incremental benefits, because local or individual 
constraints will preclude accessing and using them effectively. Thus, LEAP will be employed to provide 
intensive support using methods that make it feasible for scaling up to all sites; in fact, we plan to 
randomize 48 sites (plus three pilot sites) through the course of the project (see Figure 5 below), with the 
remaining sites acting as controls.  
LEAP, as described in the Implementation Core, will be adapted to work with VAMC teams to implement 
New MOVE!. Findings from prior work with a quality collaborative revealed the importance of open 
communication, relationship building, methods training, monitoring performance, and facilitating team-
Figure 4: Aggregate FY2014 MOVE! Group Visits per 100 
Overweight/Obese Veterans Enrolled in Primary Care by VAMC 

based problem-solving.92  Three VAMCs, one from each performance tertile, will participate in a pilot of 
LEAP in Y1Q4. In Years 2-3, teams from six VAMCs will participate in LEAP each quarter as described 
below. When LEAP was described (including the level of commitment require) in a national call, hosted by 
NCP in May 2015 with all MOVE! coordinators, 99% of 79 participants said “Yes” they would be willing 
to participate.  
3.1  Study Design  
Our goal is to evaluate outcomes for all VAMCs nationwide. For Aim 1, because our NCP partners want to 
quickly disseminate the core products by posting them online and providing short orientations on national 
calls, we will use an interrupted time series analysis to assess primary, secondary, and tertiary outcomes 
before and after dissemination of the products among sites who do not participate in LEAP. Outcome 
assessments will rely on 
administrative data available through 
the Corporate Data Warehouse (CDW). 
Our team has extensive experience 
working with MOVE! program data and 
linking to other utilization and diagnosis 
data.141,142,145-147  
For Aim 2, in years 2-3 we will 
randomly assign sites to LEAP, six 
sites at a time. At the beginning of each 
quarter, sites not included in the pilot 
and not randomized in previous 
quarters will be characterized by tertile 
of performance with respect to 
aggregate visits (our primary 
implementation outcome). Two sites 
will be randomly selected from each 
tertile of performance to initiate LEAP. 
Thus, each cohort of sites will comprise two high performing sites (a key “ingredient” for the LEAP 
sessions), two “learner sites” and two sites that have moderate performance. This will provide a forum 
where the more successful sites can “mentor” sites who are further behind. By the end of FY18, 48 sites 
will have participated in LEAP, plus three pilot sites in FY16. The final three months of follow-up for the last 
cohort will occur in FY19Q1.  
3.2  Key Variables & Analyses 
The primary outcome will be VAMC-level aggregated number of MOVE! visits accrued within a six-month 
analysis period among candidates for MOVE! who live within 40 miles of the VAMC:  an implementation 
outcome with respect to reach.160  The secondary outcome will be average percentage weight loss by 
patients at each VAMC at six months after a baseline MOVE! visit. Tertiary outcomes will include:  1) the 
proportion of patients who have at least 12 MOVE! visits within 12 months (a specified goal in the new 
CPGs); and 2) the proportion of patients who achieved at least 5% weight loss at six months. 
For Aim 1, in addition to developing the three core products, we will evaluate their impact after they are 
disseminated to VAMCs in FY17 through interrupted time series analyses using administrative program 
data. Data prior to launch of these products (FY17 Q1) will provide “before” data. “After” data will come 
from sites not randomized to receive the more intensive intervention (see Aim 2) and up to the 
randomization time for sites randomized to LEAP. Analytic models will be similar to that of Aim 2, except 
the primary exposure variable will be an indicator for the period after dissemination of the three core 
products .  
To determine effectiveness of LEAP (Aim 2), we will use a generalized linear mixed-effects model with visit 
counts and log link for primary outcome, percent weight loss for secondary outcome, and whether at least 
12 visits in 12 months were made (1/0) and logit link for tertiary outcomes. Each model will include site as 
random intercepts and two indicators for tertiles as fixed effects. The primary exposure variable will be the 
binary time-dependent exposure variable indicating the intervention quarter for the site, i.e., a variable 
indicating the quarter at or beyond when the site is randomized to initiate LEAP. For each outcome, the 

parameter estimate of this exposure variable will allow testing for the effectiveness of LEAP and 
summarize the LEAP effect expressed as rate ratio for primary outcome, difference in percent weight 
change for secondary outcome, and odds ratio for tertiary outcome. The model can include other variables 
(e.g., quarter and participant covariates). 
Power considerations. Across all sites, there will be about 22,080 MOVE! participants (20 participants per 
closed MOVE! cohort X 1 cohort per quarter X 8 quarters X 147 sites, with 48 sites randomized in steps to 
LEAP and 99 not randomized).  Our previous work showed an average of 4 visits during the 6 months of 
follow-up and 6% completing at least 8 visits.142 We assume the minimum detectable and meaningful 
difference in rates during LEAP in comparison to the control period to be 7 vs. 5 visits (corresponding to a 
rate ratio of 1.4 and assuming a bit higher rate in control group than the number observed in the 
preliminary data due to implementation of tools across all sites) and percent of patients with at least 12 
visits in 12 months as 10% vs. 7% (corresponding to an odds ratio of 1.48). For power considerations, the 
design assumes randomization of 6 sites (2 sites per tertile) to LEAP every quarter over 8 quarters starting 
at Q1 of FY17, and one unexposed quarter, while 3 sites are piloted (Q4 of FY16), no differential effect of 
LEAP across the tertiles, that 48 sites will be randomized to LEAP (rather than all VAMCs), and a within-
site correlation of 0.1. The proposed design will have 99% power to detect the odds ratio of 1.4 or higher 
and 91% power to detect an odds ratio of 1.48 or higher with a two-sided 0.05 test. 
For Aim 3, qualitative data from multiple sources will be collected, coded, and analyzed by our experienced 
team using documented rigorous approaches.  An implementation-focused evaluation161 will be conducted 
to understand implementation processes at local facilities and to refine the content and style of the LEAP 
sessions. Sessions will be audio recorded (with permission from the group) and transcribed. Information 
related to the ERIC strategies83,91 used, CFIR constructs75 mentioned as barriers or facilitators, and 
adaptations to New MOVE! will be coded and tracked along with themes related to processes and stories 
of implementation efforts – especially as they intersect with support through LEAP. A post-implementation 
interpretive evaluation161 will be conducted based on qualitative data collected through telephone 
interviews with 5-10 stakeholders (including MOVE! coordinators, Health Promotion and Disease 
Prevention Manager, Health Behavior Coordinator, MOVE! physician champion, Director of Primary Care, 
possibly a Computer Applications Coordinator, and/or quality manager) at 12 sites, half of whom 
participated in LEAP and half of whom did not, in FY2018-19. We will also conduct site visits to 12 other 
sites during this same time period. Micro costing analyses will be conducted using time logs kept by LEAP 
workshop facilitators and estimates of time spent by local teams. We will use approaches documented in 
our cost evaluation of the VA DPP program.162 
Key covariates. NCP will administer surveys at least twice (annually if allowed by VACO policy) to facility 
MOVE! coordinators that will include measures of context based on CFIR constructs, adaptations of New 
MOVE!, and program fidelity by eliciting key program characteristics (e.g., length). Additional covariates will 
include facility complexity, urban versus rural, participation in another concurrent study related to MOVE!, 
and proportions of Veterans in populations of interest, including but not limited to racial minorities, OEF/OIF 
Veterans, and women. Additionally, we will track VAMC team “engagement,” e.g., through website metrics 
that will track use of the core products by user account, attendance at the LEAN workshops, etc. 
4.0  Impact 
Published evidence highlights that more sessions attended in evidence-based weight loss programs are 
strongly associated with more weight loss. By the end of the project, through incremental improvements 
expected by making the user-designed Portal available with the other enhancements to NCP support and 
even more significantly, through improvements expected in the 51 facilities participating in LEAP, we 
anticipate a 20% improvement in the aggregate visit rates for MOVE! group and a 10% improvement in 
weight outcomes. In addition, specifications for reporting data through the Portal will be given to OABI. Our 
methods for developing program metrics (user-based design) and the highly scalable LEAP approach to 
program implementation can be applied to programs other than MOVE!.  
5.0  Partnerships/Management 
Expertise and specific responsibilities of the team are detailed in the budget justification. 
PI:  Laura Damschroder, MS, MPH, Core Investigator, VA CCMR; Co-Implementation Research 
Coordinator, Diabetes QUERI. 
Co-Investigator:  David Goodrich, EdD, MA, MS, Implementation Facilitator, VA CCMR.   

Co-Investigator: Teresa Damush, PhD, Core Investigator, Indianapolis HSR&D COIN; Implementation 
Research Coordinator, Stroke QUERI. 
Co-Investigator:  Tannaz Moin, MD, MSHS, Core Investigator, VA Greater Los Angeles HSR&D COIN. 
Co-Investigator:  Robin Masheb, PhD, Research Psychologist, VA CT Healthcare System. 
Partnerships. We have worked closely with several leaders in NCP to develop this proposal and they have 
committed to supporting this project in many tangible ways as described in their Letter of Support. Likewise 
OABI is enthusiastic about this work because this project will provide an exemplar approach for utilizing user-
centered design approaches to integrate the power of big datasets into local settings in a way that initiates 
action to improve care for Veterans; these are hallmarks of system learning, which is a high priority within the 
BPE. They have committed to orienting our team to newer and more sophisticated data analytics and 
visualization tools, to link additional data that may not already be available through eQM, and will provide 
expert feedback as the Portal develops. Our affiliated HSR&D COIN has a long partnership with Primary Care 
leaders, including Gordon Schectman, who has committed to encouraging primary care leaders in LEAP 
VAMCs to support members of the MOVE! implementation teams who may be members of the primary care 
clinic. Dr. Schectman will also help disseminate MOVE! outcomes in a way that encourages PACTs to more 
effectively motivate patients to initiate participation in MOVE!; a recent single-site study found that patients 
were more likely to initiate MOVE! when they felt heard by their providers and options were discussed.163 
Support for project management, data management, and data analysis will come from QUERI core staff. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

*Excerpt from proposal describing Implementation Core: 
2.0  Implementation Strategy:  LEAP (Learn. Engage. Act. Program) + Core Products 
LEAP (Learn. Engage. Act. Program.) is the primary implementation strategy we are proposing to develop 
and use for the projects included in this proposal (with an abbreviated version being proposed for our QI 
project). LEAP, plus additional products we plant to develop, is depicted in Figure 2. Our implementation 
strategy begins with change triggered by new clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). We propose to support 
implementation of CPGs in local VAMC settings with our Core Products and LEAP. The embedded 
“wheels” at the center of the figure depict the interacting and mutually reinforcing role of high-priority CFIR 
constructs. The four key Process constructs (inner wheel) interact to overcome barriers related to 
constructs in the Inner Setting (outer wheel). LEAP will employ the “micro” strategies listed in Table 1 (next 
page) in a way that is tailored to the local Inner Setting. Teams at local sites will employ these strategies, 
guided by the Barrier Busters Tool (described below) and integrated with systems redesign approaches. 
We hypothesize that use of these strategies will lead to successful implementation of CPGs in VAMCs as 
reflected by improved implementation outcomes. Improved implementation will in turn lead to optimal 
patient outcomes – in the case of our PrOVE QUERI projects, these outcomes will be the more 
personalized care encapsulated by the CPGs.  
2.1  LEAP 
Quality collaboratives are often 
successful in helping local 
implementation teams identify and 
address barriers through systems 
redesign approaches. For example, 
the Stroke QUERI-led evaluation of a 
quality collaborative resulted in 
significant improvements in stroke 
care by improving fidelity of the care 
provided with CPGs.92,93  However, 
the challenge with traditional 
collaboratives is that they are 
relatively resource-intensive, e.g., 
travel and time off for week-long kick-
off meetings, site visits by expert 
facilitators, etc.94  It is often infeasible 
to scale these resource-intensive 
programs within VHA with 150 
VAMCs and 819 outlying clinics.  
We have designed LEAP to overcome these issues by leveraging best practices in distance-learning, which 
has long wrestled with how to effectively engage participants in learning and hands-on program activities.95 
LEAP was conceived to provide intensive support using methods that make it feasible for scaling up to involve 
many sites. It is a multi-faceted implementation strategy that will involve an intensive distance learning series 
of workshops designed to engage local teams. LEAP will draw on the best of quality collaboratives92,96 and 
meld these components with distance learning technologies to create a scalable yet intensive support system. 
LEAP will help teams navigate their local settings and mitigate barriers to implementing new initiatives (i.e., 
New MOVE! and shared decision making for lung cancer screening in projects 1 and 2) by building skills in 
open communication, developing productive working relationships, providing methods training and program 
monitoring, and building team-based problem-solving skills.  
 
 
 
 

Table 1: LEAP Program Components & Strategies 
Table 1 shows a high-level overview of the 
LEAP series of workshops (Appendix A 
provides more detail):  there will be 10 initial 
sessions followed by 2 follow-up sessions 
for technical assistance and problem-solving 
and one additional session of celebration 
when each site will present their 
accomplishments. Eight of the initial 
sessions will be preceded by a short 
interactive video (about 15 minutes) posted 
online and up to ½ hour of pre-work to 
complete. LEAP is unique in blending 
systems redesign approaches, through 
collaboration with VA’s Center for Applied 
Systems Engineering (VA-CASE) and Dr. 
Teresa Damush from the Stroke QUERI, 
with implementation strategies as guided by 
the ERIC-CFIR mapping. For example, we 
would propose to use a PDSA approach (as 
part of the ERIC strategy to “Develop a 
formal implementation blueprint”) to address 
the CFIR’s “Planning” construct. 
The initial sessions and pre-work will allow sites to incrementally implement changes while getting support 
and feedback from our team and from peer VAMC teams. In a systematic review of quality improvement 
(QI) curricula for clinicians, tailored coaching and time for experiential learning combined with audit and 
feedback were associated with more positive QI process outcomes.98  A content expert (co-investigator 
from the respective projects), a facilitator from the Implementation Core, plus a VA-CASE systems 
redesign expert will participate in the sessions and serve as coaches. The content experts will provide 
training and answer questions on the clinical guidelines/interventions to be implemented; the VA-CASE 
coach will provide training in systems redesign and will offer process improvement support; and our 
implementation facilitator will help the teams with problem-solving and goal-setting. 
LEAP aligns closely with VA’s Blueprint for Excellence (BPE). Specifically, it will help promote a “positive 
culture of service” by providing tools and strategies to promote “an environment of continuous learning…” (BPE 
5.2.b) and provide support and “training of front-line supervisors and managers” (5.2.c). In addition, as 
foundational developers of key scientific frameworks (CFIR and ERIC) and through our exceptionally 
productive, close working relationship with NCP and OABI, we will use this approach to “rapidly translate 
research findings and evidence-based treatment into clinical practice” (7.2.h, QUERI Strategic Plan). Finally, 
our collaboration with VA Center for Applied Systems Engineering (VA-CASE, described below) will help 
ensure effective skill-building and use of Lean system redesign techniques (BPE 2.2.e). 
2.2  Core Products 
In addition to LEAP, we will design certain core products to support implementation. The selection, 
development, and design of these core products will be guided by the CFIR and ERIC as well as “micro-
theories” that underlie the broader implementation strategies (e.g., theories underpinning effective audit 
and feedback strategies99). Each of the three core products to be developed in the first year have been 
chosen to address high-priority gaps identified in our research. Specifically, members of our team have led 
seven implementation studies that all used the CFIR to assess contextual factors and their influence on 
implementation outcomes.100  These studies revealed that the constructs depicted in the outer “wheel” 
shown in Figure 2 were associated with successful implementation.100,101   
The first core product to be developed in Year 1 is a Context Assessment Tool, which can be administered 
multiple ways (e.g., self-administered, periodic survey) to identify the salient and high priority constructs at 
local sites. This information will be used to guide selection of ERIC strategies via the second product, the 
Barrier Busters Tool. This tool relies on a mapping of ERIC strategies to the CFIR constructs. This work is 
Sessions 
CFIR 
Construct 
Addressed75 
Discrete Strategies & Tools 
Pre- and 
overall 
Planning 
Engaging 
Capture and share local knowledge91 
TAMMCS: SIPOC Mapping  
Create a learning collaborative91 
Make training dynamic91 
Recruit, designate, and train for leadership91 
TAMMCS: Charter97 
Provide ongoing consultation91 
1-5 
Planning 
Engaging 
Self-efficacy 
System Redesign (SR) improvement model97 
Develop a formal implementation blueprint91 
TAMMCS: SMART Aims, Charter97 
Assess for readiness; identify barriers and 
facilitators91 
Context Assessment Tool 
Audit and provide feedback91  
Program Intelligence Portal 
Promote adaptability91 
Tailor strategies91 
Barrier Busters Tool 
Promote network weaving91 
6-10 
Executing 
Reflecting & 
Evaluating 
Conduct cyclical small tests of change91 
TAMMCS: Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA)97 
Capture and share local knowledge91 
Audit and provide feedback91 
Train the trainer strategies91 

currently underway by our team. An international panel of experts will complete the mapping this summer. 
A mock-up of the tool to be developed based on this mapping is posted on the CFIR website. 
Our third tool, the Program Intelligence Portal (Portal), will use audit and feedback (A&F) to support the 
CFIR constructs, Reflecting and Evaluating (R&E) and Goals & Feedback. Using A&F to support R&E is 
particularly important in light of our unpublished Qualitative Comparative Analyses (QCA) of contextual 
factors across three lifestyle programs in VA (including MOVE!) that consistently point to R&E as 
necessary for successful implementation. Yet many sites do not have a process for R&E, primarily due to 
lack of access to program data provided in an understandable way, and lack of skills in using program 
information strategically for successful implementation. A&F strategies can help mitigate this gap.102   
We plan to employ principles of user-centered design to develop the Portal, which are based on the desire to 
understand users’ needs. Our goal in the Implementation Core is to develop products that are intuitive and 
meet the specific needs of users by incorporating user feedback into every step of development process. We 
will obtain feedback from the users we seek to engage regarding their needs, preferences, and abilities. Once 
the potential users in the proposed projects have been interviewed regarding their information requirements, 
the appropriate visual structures can be selected for mapping the data to meet these needs. For example, are 
data needed to identify clusters, a hierarchy, or a network of relationships?  After the appropriate visual 
structures for this information have been determined, alternative data visualization techniques will be 
considered and reviewed with users for consideration,103 along with design elements such as content, color, 
and layout. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Letter of Support from Linda S. Kinsinger, MD, MPH, Chief Consultant for Preventive Medicine, VA National 
Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, dated May 26, 2015 describing that this project is quality 
improvement and not research: 

 
May 26, 2015 
 
Amy Kilbourne 
Director, QUERI Program 
VA Health Services Research and Development 
Washington, DC  20002 
 
Dear Dr. Kilbourne: 
 
As the Chief Consultant for Preventive Medicine, I am writing to express my enthusiastic support for the 
proposed QUERI program, PeRsonalizing Options for Veteran Engagement (PrOVE).  The aims of this 
QUERI are very closely aligned with the goals of VA’s National Center for Health Promotion and Disease 
Prevention (NCP). 
 
NCP has been a primary partner of the Diabetes QUERI for the nearly 10 years.  Diabetes QUERI 
researchers helped us to evaluate and enhance our efforts to implement and improve MOVE!® and 
TeleMOVE!.  One of the largest Diabetes QUERI projects conducted, the VA Diabetes Prevention 
Program Clinical Demonstration Project and Implementation Evaluation (VA DPP), was initiated at the 
request of NCP.  We funded the clinical demonstration, and the evaluation was funded by a QUERI RRP 
and SDP. Furthermore, during the past year, we disseminated a redesigned MOVE! program 
(http://www.move.va.gov/GrpSessions.asp), which includes several features informed by work 
conducted by Diabetes QUERI investigators.  
 
Given our productive track record partnering together already, I am especially excited about the 
opportunity to continue working with this enthusiastic and talented group of investigators and staff.  We 
hope to continue to advance our efforts to further improve MOVE!, and we look forward to working 
with them on new initiatives.  One of those new initiatives is the lung cancer screening shared decision 
making (SDM) project (Angie Fagerlin, PI) that is being proposed.  NCP has been responsible for 
overseeing the lung cancer screening demonstration project across 8 different VAMCs.  A requirement 
of offering lung cancer screening to patients in VAMCs is that there be a discussion with patients to help 
them make the decision about whether they wish to be screened.  Currently each site participating in 
the demonstration project determines its own process for how to conduct this discussion.   
 
Dr. Tanner Caverly approached us over a year and a half ago about developing a decision aid to help 
personalize lung cancer screening decisions and enhance shared decision making.  Since then I have 
been in regular contact with Dr. Caverly as he developed and tested his decision support tool, and more 
recently as we have discussed how best to implement it in the eight screening demonstration sites.  This 
tool has the potential to be of tremendous benefit to providers as they discuss lung cancer screening 
options with their patients.  Nevertheless, I realize it may be challenging to implement, given various 
organizational barriers.  I am very much looking forward to seeing if the implementation strategy 
proposed by the PrOVE QUERI can facilitate implementation and use of the tool as part of the screening 
guidelines.  As the office responsible for overseeing the lung cancer screening demonstration project, 
we have already informed the sites that we support the use of this tool and encourage their 
   In Reply Refer To: 10P4N 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS 
Veterans Health Administration 
Office of Patient Care Services (10P4) 
National Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (10P4N) 
3022 Croasdaile Dr. Suite 200 
Durham, NC 27705

participation in this project.  If the tool proves to be successful, we will include it as part of the lung 
cancer screening guidelines to be disseminated throughout VHA. 
 
And of course I am very interested in the MOVE! project (Laura Damschroder, PI) that is proposed.  My 
staff and I have been meeting frequently (monthly or more often) with Ms. Damschroder and her team 
this year to discuss how the Diabetes QUERI (and now the PrOVE QUERI) can best support us in our 
efforts to improve MOVE!, and then more recently to figure out the specific design of the project 
included in this proposal.  We are very excited with the proposed project and intend to continue to be 
closely engaged in this effort.  In particular, we will:  
 
1) Provide feedback and input as the PrOVE team develops the three core products that will be 
integrated into “enhanced NCP support:” a context assessment tool, a barrier busters tool, and a 
program intelligence portal. 
2) Provide “enhanced NCP support” to the field (as described in the proposal) by leveraging the 
three core products to be available online – in fact we were so enthusiastic about these 
products, we strongly encouraged the team to make them available to everyone. 
3) Administer a survey to VAMCs at least twice and possibly annually to collect information about 
local MOVE! programs and high-priority contextual factors. We understand this data is 
important for the insights needed to evaluate our implementation strategies and to understand 
the factors associated with successful MOVE! outcomes. We will work with the PrOVE team to 
design the survey to ensure it includes the measures needed while ensuring it is as streamlined 
as possible. 
4) Encourage sites randomized to LEAP to engage fully in the program. 
 
For both the lung cancer screening SDM project and the MOVE! project, we will randomize the sites as 
proposed in the respective projects.  This letter also confirms that the primary purpose of both projects 
is to conduct operations evaluations designed to inform quality improvement efforts as part of the 
ongoing collaboration between NCP and the previous Diabetes QUERI (now the PrOVE QUERI).  The 
projects support internal evaluation efforts to understand and assess the implementation of lung cancer 
screening guidelines and the updated MOVE! guidelines.  Both projects will involve use of secondary and 
primary VA data collected for evaluation purposes using assessments that are part of routine care.  
These projects are designed and will be implemented for internal VA purposes, to better inform NCP in 
our efforts to improve the quality of preventive services in VA.  Thus, these efforts are deemed as 
quality improvement and not research.  Any proposed data collection that is not needed for the 
purposes of this internal evaluation will be submitted for IRB review and approval.   
 
For the past several years, Dr. Michael Goldstein, Associate Chief Consultant for Preventive Medicine, 
and I have been active members of the Diabetes QUERI Executive Committee. We’re very committed to 
the QUERI model and strongly believe it provides great value to VHA and to the country’s healthcare 
systems overall.  We look forward to continuing our productive partnership with the PrOVE QUERI. Dr. 
Goldstein will serve as a member of the Advisory Committee of the new QUERI. We heartily endorse this 
application and encourage the selection committee to give it its highest consideration. 
 
Sincerely, 
 
Linda S. Kinsinger, MD, MPH 
Chief Consultant for Preventive Medicine