# Tailored Adaptation of the AHRQ VTE QI Guide to Local Hospital Context.

> **NIH NIH K08** · NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $162,755

## Abstract

Project Summary / Abstract
 Dr. Yang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Surgery, Surgical Outcomes and Quality
Improvement Center (SOQIC), and the Center for HealthCare Studies (CHS) – Institute for Public Health and
Medicine at the Feinberg School of Medicine. CHS and SOQIC conduct cutting-edge research about the safety
and quality of healthcare through interdisciplinary collaborations of health services and outcomes researchers in
order to inform and shape healthcare policy and to improve healthcare practices and the health of the nation.
 Dr. Yang's career goal is to become an independently funded investigator combining advanced quantitative
and qualitative analytics with expertise in implementation and dissemination science to facilitate effective
healthcare quality improvement locally, regionally, and nationally. To fulfill this goal, he will augment his Master's
Degree in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety by gaining expertise in three areas during this award period: (1)
implementation and dissemination science, (2) qualitative and mixed methods research, and (3) quantitative
evaluation methods. He will apply the new knowledge and skills experientially to the proposed project.
 Venous thromboembolism (VTE), defined as either a deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism (PE),
is a common, preventable cause of postoperative morbidity and mortality. PE is the leading cause of in-hospital
preventable death in the United States. The currently quality measures for VTE have important flaws that limit
the ability of hospitals to identify actionable targets for quality improvement (QI). Therefore, at the request of the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, our group created and validated a new VTE Prophylaxis Composite
Measure that includes the three best practice elements of postoperative VTE prophylaxis: (1) chemoprophylaxis,
(2) sequential compression devices, and (3) early ambulation. The measure helps hospitals easily identify
actionable QI targets for VTE prophylaxis.
 This application proposes to use an intensive, mixed methods evaluation in twelve hospitals of four key types
(large academic; large community; small/medium community with QI experience; small/medium community with
little/no QI experience) to examine how hospitals differentially adapt and utilize the resource, ““Preventing
Hospital-Associated Venous Thromboembolism: A Guide for Effective Quality Improvement” (VTE QI Guide) to
address QI targets identified by the VTE Prophylaxis Composite Measure, while taking into account their
hospital-specific contexts. The lessons learned will culminate in the development of “Tailored Adaptations of the
AHRQ VTE QI Guide,” a companion to the VTE QI Guide, which will equip hospitals with practical strategies to
adapt and implement the VTE QI Guide within their hospital type and local context. Finally, the value of tailored
use of the VTE QI Guide will be assessed by comparing pre- and post-implementation adherence to the...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9857659
- **Project number:** 5K08HL145139-02
- **Recipient organization:** NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Anthony D. Yang
- **Activity code:** K08 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $162,755
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-02-01 → 2024-01-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9857659

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9857659, Tailored Adaptation of the AHRQ VTE QI Guide to Local Hospital Context. (5K08HL145139-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9857659. Licensed CC0.

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