Project Grant K08HS029562

This federal Project Grant award of $159,255, awarded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under the Research on Healthcare Costs, Quality and Outcomes (CFDA 93.226) program, will fund a mixed-methods study to identify social risk factors associated with variation in pre- and post-operative expenditures and outcomes for patients with renal colic, a common and costly surgical condition. The project aims to 1) analyze claims data and conduct patient/provider interviews to pinpoint social determinants impacting renal colic care, 2) assess patient and provider perspectives on facilitators and barriers to timely and effective surgical care, and 3) develop and pilot a clinical decision support tool that personalizes follow-up for emergency department patients with renal colic who will subsequently undergo surgery. The project's findings will inform how social risk impacts surgical outcomes, align surgical value-based purchasing efforts with the patient-provider experience, and provide the basis for a future trial evaluating the impact of a risk-adjusted clinical decision support tool on perioperative outcomes and expenditures.