# Improving the Quality of Heart Failure Care for American Indian Patients Receiving Care through the Indian Health Service

> **NIH NIH K23** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2024 · $188,514

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
Heart failure morbidity and mortality disproportionately impact racial minorities, and inequitable care delivery
based on race is pervasive in the United States. While the American Indian/Alaska Native population is one of
the populations that suffers most from health disparities, little is known about their burden of cardiovascular
disease, particularly heart failure. In fact, there are no studies in the current era evaluating the burden and
outcomes of heart failure among the American Indian/Alaska Native population, or the quality of care they
receive. The proposed mixed-methods research plan aims to characterize the burden of disease, outcomes,
and quality of care of American Indian/Alaska Native patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction
receiving care through the Indian Health Service— the principal health care provider for the American
Indian/Alaska Native population, as well as to determine implementation strategies to ensure quality heart
failure care for this population. Aim 1 seeks to characterize the clinical characteristics, as well as rates of
guideline directed medical and device therapy and outcomes of American Indian/Alaska Native patients with
heart failure receiving care through the Indian Health Service. This aim will utilize a large administrative clinical
and claims database. Aim 2 will augment this analyses by employing qualitative research methods to interview
American Indian heart failure patients discharged after a heart failure hospitalization, as well as primary
providers at two Indian Health Service sites in Navajo Nation to better understand barriers to quality heart
failure care. Aim 3 will employ an implementation mapping approach with a stakeholder taskforce at the same
sites to determine the highest priority strategies to improve heart failure care for this population. These aims
will lead to a future pilot pragmatic clinical trial of American Indians with heart failure in Navajo Nation, which
will be used to evaluate the effectiveness of the highest priority strategies to improve care identified in aim 3.
These research aims are part of a comprehensive training plan and will be supervised by a mentorship and
advisory team consisting of national leaders in health services and implementation science research, and
advanced statistical and qualitative methodologies, and will guide my transition to an independently funded
research career.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10928271
- **Project number:** 5K23HL166974-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Lauren A Eberly
- **Activity code:** K23 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $188,514
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-12 → 2028-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10928271

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10928271, Improving the Quality of Heart Failure Care for American Indian Patients Receiving Care through the Indian Health Service (5K23HL166974-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10928271. Licensed CC0.

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