IA- VUMC HSR Implementation Science Core

Overview of Services

Provides consultation and research support services for the implementation and evaluation of initiatives to improve the quality, safety, value, and delivery of health care. Services include consultation on the use of implementation science frameworks, study design (including hybrid designs, quasi-experimental and pragmatic clinical trials), selection of process and outcome measures, program evaluation, and assistance with manuscript and grant preparation.

The Implementation Science Core provides consultation services as a component of the Center for Clinical Quality and Implementation Research (CCQIR). The CCQIR is comprised of more than 30 core faculty members engaged in local, regional, and national efforts to improve health and healthcare delivery. A robust funding portfolio of approximately $27 million in annual awarded direct costs is supported by NIH, AHRQ, CMS, PCORI, and CDC. Notable projects involve studying implementation of interventions to improve medication reconciliation, reduce hospital readmission, increase healthcare access and retention in care, and build infrastructure for pragmatic trials.

The Implementation Science Core includes faculty and staff with expertise in a wide array of methodological areas including quality improvement frameworks (PDSA, Six Sigma, Lean), systems-level process change (process mapping), Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA), research design (quasi-experimental studies, pragmatic clinical trials, mixed-methods approaches), process evaluation (adoption, fidelity), and data visualization. Core consulting services provide support to investigate the effectiveness of interventions in real-world clinical settings, navigate transformational change needed to incorporate evidence-based practices into routine care, identify and address redundancies and waste in healthcare delivery, quantify feasibility of improvement efforts, and identify methods for sustainability of improvement. The Core further provides services to enhance the rigor of scholarship around implementation science. 

We offer consultation services for:

• Implementation science theories, models, and frameworks  (adoption, fidelity, sustainability)
• Study design (including hybrid, quasi-experimental, and pragmatic clinical trials)
• Measure and metric definition
• Improvement Science: QI frameworks and tools
• Mixed methods program evaluation
• Grant and manuscript preparation

Leadership

Director, Implementation Science Core:   Sunil Kripalani, MD, MSc, SFHM

Associate Director, Implementation Science Core: Heather M. Limper, PhD, MPH

Core Manager: Vivian Yeh

For general questions or assistance: vivian.m.yeh@vumc.org 

Location and hours of operation

Links and Resources

1. https://www.vumc.org/implementation/iscore
2. https://www.vumc.org/hsr/cores