in

VISN 21 Palo Alto

HSR&D and QUERI Centers, projects, Career Development Awards, and highlighted publications in Palo 

Alto include:

COIN (Center of Innovation): 

Center for Innovation to Implementation (Ci2i): Fostering High Value Health Care

Director: Steven Asch, MD, MPH

Ci2i's mission is to produce health services research that informs how VHA operational partners 

pursue healthcare through better access, higher quality, and wiser use of resources.

CREATE (Collaborative Research to Enhance and Advance Transformation and Excellence): 

Promoting Value & Access in VA's Substance Use Disorder Services

Director: Keith Humphreys, PhD

The mission of this CREATE is to increase value and accessibility across the continuum of 

substance use disorder care, through the validation and refinement of access and process quality 

metrics; the evaluation and dissemination of low-cost, high-impact service innovations; and the 

promotion of patient and provider knowledge about evidence-based treatment for substance use 

disorders. Projects currently funded in this CREATE include:

• SUD Treatment and Staffing Handbook Implementation: Impact on Patient Outcome – Austin 

Frakt, PhD (housed in Boston)

• Web-based Intervention to Reduce Alcohol Use in Veterans with Hepatitis C – Keith 

Humphreys, PhD

• Improving Quality of Addiction Treatment Quality Measures – Alex Harris, PhD

Project to be funded in this CREATE in the future: 

• Telemonitoring to Improve Substance Use Disorder Treatment after Detoxification– Christine 

Timko, PhD

Women Veterans Healthcare

Director: Elizabeth Yano (Los Angeles) 

A project funded under this CREATE that is housed in Palo Alto is:

• Lost to Care: Attrition of Women Veterans New to VHA – Susan Frayne, MD, MPH

QUERI (Quality Enhancement Research Initiative): 

Chronic Heart Failure (CHF) QUERI

Director: Paul Heidenreich, MD, MS

Clinical Coordinator: Barry Massie, MD

Implementation Research Coordinator: Anju Sahay, PhD

The mission of CHF-QUERI is to efficiently improve survival and quality of life for all VA patients 

with heart failure through collaboration with other VA organizations to implement best practices. 

VA Office of Research & Development • Health Services Research & Development Service

www.hsrd.research.va.gov

3/20/2014
HIV/Hepatitis C QUERI

Co-Research Director: Steven Asch, MD, MPH

The mission of the HIV/Hepatitis QUERI is to implement evidence-based research into practices to 

improve the identification and patient care of Veterans infected with the Human 

Immunodeficiency (HIV) and Hepatitis C (HCV) viruses.

Resource Center:

Health Economics Resource Center (HERC)

Director: Paul Barnett, PhD

HERC assists VA researchers in assessing the cost-effectiveness of medical care, evaluating the 

efficiency of VA programs and providers, and conducting high-quality health economics research.

Currently Funded Projects at Palo Alto

• Consortium of Healthcare Informatics Research: Translational Use Case Projects – Mary Goldstein, 

MD, MS

• Feasibility of Implementing a 3-Step Mutual Help Referral Method in HCV Clinics – Jeanne 

Schaefer, PhD, RN

• Improving the Safety of Aldosterone Antagonists in Heart Failure – Paul Heidenreich, MD, MS

• A Formative Evaluation of VA Heart Failure (HF) Provider Network and e-HF Toolkit – Anju Sahay, 

PhD

• Drug Screen for Primary Care Patients – Quyen Tiet, PhD

• Metrics for Residential SUD Treatment Access, Processes, and Care Transitions – Alex Harris, PhD

• Dual Use: Safe in Atrial Fibrillation? – Minang Turakhia, MD, MS

• The VA Women's Overall Mental Health Assessment of Needs (WOMAN) – Rachel Kimerling, PhD

• Evaluating Innovative Care Models for High-Utilizing Patients – Donna Zulman, MD, MS

• After Detoxification: Increasing Follow-up Appointment and SUD Treatment Rates – Christine

Timko, PhD

• Effectiveness of a Telemedicine System of A-Fib Alerts for Stroke Prevention – Minang Turakhia, 

MD, MS

• Veterans Justice Programs: Improving Access to Mental Health Services – Daniel Blonigen, PhD

• Dual Diagnosis Inpatients: Telephone Monitoring RCT to Improve Outcomes – Christine Timko, PhD

• Management of HIV as a Chronic Disease – Douglas Owens, MD, MS

• Automating Performance Metrics for Quality Improvement in Complex Chronic Disease – Mary

Goldstein, MD, MS

• Cost-effective Uses of New Hepatitis C Treatments and their VA Budgetary Impact – Douglas

Owens, MD, MS

• Effects of Mental Health Disorders on Pain Monitoring and Treatment in VA CLCs – Penny Brennan, 

PhD

• Differences in Quality, Cost, and Access between VA and Fee Basis CABG and PCI – Paul Barnett, 

PhD

Current Career Development Awardees

• Patricia Nguyen, MD, MBA – The Impact and Value of Non-invasive Testing in the Management of 

Obstructive CAD

• Minang Turakhia, MD, MS – Optimizing Care of Atrial Fibrillation and Atrial Flutter

• Donna Zulman, MD, MS – Optimizing eHealth Applications for Multimorbid Patients

VA Office of Research & Development • Health Services Research & Development Service

www.hsrd.research.va.gov

3/20/2014
Research Career Scientists

• Keith Humphreys, PhD

• Christine Timko, PhD

Highlighted Publications

• Study Shows Veterans with Multiple Chronic Conditions Account for Disproportionate Share of 

VA Healthcare Costs

Yoon J, Zulman D, Scott J, and Maciejewski M. Costs Associated with Multimorbidity among VA Patients. Medical Care 

March 2014;52(Suppl 3):S31-36.

• Increasing Number of Women Veterans Use VA Maternity Benefits

Mattocks K, Frayne S, Phibbs C, et al. Five-Year Trends in Women Veterans’ Use of VA Maternity Benefits (2008-2012). 

Women’s Health Issues January 2014;24(1):e37-e42.

• Study Examines Factors Associated with Use of VA MOVE! Program for Obese and Overweight 

Veterans

Del Re A, Maciejewski M, and Harris A. MOVE! Weight Management Program across the Veterans Health 

Administration: Patient- and Facility-Level Predictors of Utilization. BMC Health Services Research December 10, 

2013;13(1):511.

• Study Suggests Adoption of PACT Features is Significantly Associated with Lower Risk of 

Avoidable Hospitalization

Yoon J, Rose D, Canelo I, et al. Medical Home Features of VHA Primary Care Clinics and Avoidable Hospitalizations. 

Journal of General Internal Medicine September 2013;28(9):1188-94.

• Quality of VA Care for Veterans with Newly Diagnosed Lung Cancer is Markedly Higher than 

Previous Studies Suggest

Ryoo J, Ordin D, Antonio A, Oishi S, Gould M, Asch S, and Malin J. Patient Preference and Contraindications in Measuring 

Quality of Care: What Do Administrative Data Miss? Journal of Clinical Oncology July 20, 2013;31(21):2716-23.

Search the full list of citations from the Palo Alto Center at

www.hsrd.research.va.gov/publications/citations/coe_generator.cfm

VA Office of Research & Development • Health Services Research & Development Service

www.hsrd.research.va.gov

3/20/2014