# Measurement Science QUERI

> **NIH VA I50** · VETERANS AFFAIRS MED CTR SAN FRANCISCO · 2021 · —

## Abstract

The Program Impact Goal of the Measurement Science QUERI Program is “To Integrate Measurement
Science into Healthcare for Veterans.” Measurement Science (defined as the theory, practice, and
application of suitable metrics) is at the core of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Learning Healthcare
System and a critical component of High Reliability Organizations (HROs). Measurement Science supports
strategic priorities at all levels of the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), aligns with VA’s ICARE values
(Integrity, Commitment, Advocacy, Respect, and Excellence) and directly addresses five of the ten VHA
modernization priorities (committing to zero harm, reducing unwarranted variation, engaging Veterans in
lifelong health, modernizing Electronic Health Records, and improving access to care).
The Measurement Science QUERI has a track record of successfully working with national VA program offices
to identify and integrate informative metrics that speed the translation of evidence-based therapies into
healthcare practice. During the next five years, we propose to scale-up and spread three, high-priority,
evidence-based practices (EBPs) that are united by the need to clearly define and continuously monitor
standardized metrics to improve the safety of care. In collaboration with the National Office of
Gastroenterology, Dr. Kaltenbach and team will use video-based training to improve the quality of
colonoscopy for cancer screening. In partnership with the National Rheumatology Field Advisory
Committee and Center for Medication Safety, Dr. Schmajuk and team will use national dashboards to
prevent fatal infections in patients treated with immunotherapy. Working with the National Office of
Cardiology, Dr. Whooley and team will expand remote monitoring of life-saving implantable cardiac devices.
For implementation, we will utilize Audit and Feedback along with 5 key implementation strategies
(developing leadership, supporting a culture of safety, building & using data systems, implementing quality
improvement interventions to address patient safety, and providing training opportunities for providers and
staff) that have been identified as the most rigorously-developed for promoting the 5 principles of HROs
(reluctance to simplify, deference to experts, sensitivity to operations, preoccupation with failure, and
commitment to resilience). A 2019 VA Evidence Synthesis Program report concluded that spreading
innovations to improve quality of care must focus on low performers. Thus, to foster scale-up and spread, we
will disseminate the above EBPs to 18 VA sites, including eight facilities with colonoscopy quality metrics in
the lowest quintile, four facilities with low rates of screening for infection prior to immunotherapy, and six
facilities that have poor patient engagement in remote monitoring of cardiac devices.
While these EBPs are being disseminated, the Measurement Science QUERI’s Rapid Response Team will be
available to support more time-sensit...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10070347
- **Project number:** 1I50HX003266-01
- **Recipient organization:** VETERANS AFFAIRS MED CTR SAN FRANCISCO
- **Principal Investigator:** Beth Cohen
- **Activity code:** I50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** VA
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** —
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-10-01 → 2025-09-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10070347

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10070347, Measurement Science QUERI (1I50HX003266-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10070347. Licensed CC0.

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