Health Services Research
Our lab has ongoing research within cardiovascular disease registries and administrative claims databases such as the AHA-Get With The Guidelines-Heart Failure program and CMS Medicare data, to study the impact of care provided during in-hospital and outpatient clinical encounters on long-term outcomes among patients with cardiovascular diseases such as heart failure. This work has identified the existing gaps in care of acute and chronic heart failure patients in current clinical practice. We have also focused on developing novel, clinically meaningful, and patient-oriented hospital performance measures of care quality among patients hospitalized with acute cardiovascular conditions, such as home time. These performance metrics can better identify high-performing hospitals for patient-centered outcomes.
Disparities
Our lab has a focus on answering clinical questions related to the determinants of cardiovascular disease in older adults. Specifically, we have developed a keen interest in understanding the biological and social factors underlying the racial disparities in cardiovascular disease risk and downstream outcomes. Over the past few years, our lab has published several studies evaluating the contribution of unique biological factors to the disproportionately higher risk of heart failure and downstream adverse events in African Americans vs. other races. We have also evaluated the trends in the use of guideline recommended and newer therapies for cardiovascular diseases including heart failure across different race groups.