CHQOER is well-situated to take a national lead in medication effectiveness research with applications to enhancing the care of veterans nationally. We were among the first research groups to take advantage of the rich centralized pharmacy data available in VA and link it with ICD-9-CM codes, clinical, utilization and cost data in the study of diverse conditions including hypertension, diabetes, epilepsy, depression, schizophrenia and heart failure. We have also expanded beyond outpatient pharmacy data and are now examining the completeness of inpatient pharmacy records. As part of these activities, methodologies have been developed for evaluating adherence, measuring clinical inertia, performing risk adjustment, conducting national surveys for patient-reported outcomes, and determining cost-effectiveness. These methodologies now provide an in-house set of tools for application in many studies using VA data. CHQOER has also developed exceptionally strong links with the VA Pharmacy Benefits Management (PBM) Strategic Healthcare Group. Collaborative activities over more than a decade have included a large number of research projects that have impacted on policy decisions by the national Medical Advisory Panel (MAP), the creation of the Diabetes Epidemiology Cohort (DEpiC) database, and the development and launching of an Omnibus Medication survey. This major new initiative capitalizes on the strengths of the Center in marrying its expertise in administrative databases with survey work and will help to inform formulary management decisions made by the MAP. The CHQOER focus on medication effectiveness research also builds on synergies with the BU SPH which recently created the Center for the Assessment of Pharmaceutical Practices (CAPP), under the leadership of Dr. Lewis Kazis, to perform leading research and education on pharmaceutical practices. CHQOER capabilities in medication health services research as evidenced by our prior record of over 10 years experience, coupled with new expanding initiatives, position us to continue making major impacts on the care of the nations’ veterans.

Veterans RAND 12-Item Health Survey (VR-12)