A Virtual Academic Detailing Infrastructure to Enhance the New England CEPAC

Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston MA

Investigators

Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): The goal of this project is to develop, implement, and evaluate an infrastructure to improve the application of evidence from comparative effectiveness reviews to the care of Medicaid patients in New England. This infrastructure would form a link between two important components: 1) the New England Comparative Effectiveness Public Advisory Council (CEPAC), a public process developed to engage multiple stakeholders in improving the use of AHRQ evidence reviews by payers; and 2) a new virtual academic detailing program developed by Total Therapeutic Management (TTM), an innovator in academic detailing initiatives for over 17 years and the lead organization for a large, ongoing AHRQ-funded academic detailing program. Combining the payer policy focus of CEPAC reports with a new academic detailing function would create a novel model for aligning efforts to apply high-quality evidence in both policy and practice. The key Specific Aims of this project are: Aim 1: Create the infrastructure for delivering a virtual academic detailing program linked to CEPAC. 1.1 For each AHRQ-CEPAC evidence report, create a linked virtual academic detailing version and deliver it to a randomized intervention cohort within the top 100 high impact Medicaid providers in each of four New England states. Aim 2: Evaluate the effectiveness of this evidence adaptation and dissemination model. 2.1 Evaluate providers' satisfaction with the intervention and determine its perceived objectivity and impact on providers' knowledge and attitudes. 2.2 Use payer databases to compare pre-post intervention utilization and/or quality performance results between intervention and control providers. 2.3 Interview clinical and payer policy leaders to assess lessons learned and use this knowledge to guide the enhancement and expansion of the infrastructure to the remaining New England states.