The VISN 4 Center for Evaluation of PACT (CEPACT) is one of four Demonstration Labs funded by the VA to evaluate the implementation of the Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) model.

Our focus is improving patient engagement and reducing racial and ethnic disparities in patient engagement. We aim to do this by disseminating best practices for PACT implementation within VISN 4 and building tools to disseminate best practices nationwide.

Some key questions we are addressing:
What facility and patient-level characteristics predict successful patient engagement?
What drives racial and ethnic disparities in patient engagement at the VHA?
What actionable best practices improve patient engagement?
How can we disseminate best practices VISN-wide and nationally?

PACT has had variable success in engaging patients in their care, and evidence suggests that there are significant racial and ethnic disparities in this area. PACT's effects will be different for different veterans. We are focusing on these differences to learn what works for different veterans and at different facilities.

Over the next few years, we will be evaluating different types of practices to improve patient engagement across the VA system. To accomplish this, we are visiting medical centers and clinics nationally and interviewing staff to hear about what they do to engage their patients in care. We are also looking at specific facility characteristics to understand what types of facilities are most successful in achieving patient-centered care. These activities will help us understand what is linked with patients’ positive experiences, and how this varies by race and ethnicity.

Findings from this work will inform dissemination of best practices to all of VISN 4 and ultimately to the development of a tool kit for disseminating the best practices nationwide.

Co-Directors: Rachel Werner, MD, PhD, and Judith Long, MD