Medicare and Medicaid

Impact Assessment of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Quality and Efficiency Measures

Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) is a common and potentially life-threatening toxicity of radiotherapy (RT) for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). At least half of HNC patients require feeding tubes during radiation. However, it is unclear how and at what point to implement swallowing therapy to best help HNC patients to regain swallowing function. This multi-national, multi-site pragmatic clinical trial comparatively tests three approaches to swallowing therapy in the HNC population.

Stakeholder Engagement for a Multinational, multisite clinical trial

Stakeholder Engagement for a Multinational, Multisite Clinical Trial

Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing) is a common and potentially life-threatening toxicity of radiotherapy (RT) for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC). At least half of HNC patients require feeding tubes during radiation. However, it is unclear how and at what point to implement swallowing therapy to best help HNC patients to regain swallowing function. This multi-national, multi-site pragmatic clinical trial comparatively tests three approaches to swallowing therapy in the HNC population.

How can an App Facilitate pre- and post-surgical patient engagement?

How Can a Mobile App Facilitate Pre- and Post-Surgical Patient Engagement?

More than half of all surgical complications occur after discharge from the hospital. Yet, very little useful information is given to patients or to their family members to help guide them through post-surgical self-care. The need for accessible, easy-to-understand surgical self-care information is especially acute among low-literacy and underserved populations.

Balentine

Implementation Evaluation of a Novel Surgical Intervention

Virtual ACE is a promising intervention designed to improve post-surgical outcomes in elderly patients, increase mobility and reduce the incidence of post-surgical delirium. The project was implemented in two surgical units at the University of Alabama-Birmingham. The aim of this study was to evaluate the facilitators and barriers to successful implementation so that Virtual ACE could be disseminated to other hospitals.