Preventing Tipping Points in High Comorbidity Patients: A Lifeline From Health Coaches

Description

This pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial (cRCT) aims to evaluate the comparative effectiveness (CER) of two approaches to preventing destabilization ("tipping points") that lead to unplanned hospitalization and increased disability. The cRCT compares the outcomes of patients randomized in clusters by site within four Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) networks in New York City (NYC) and Chicago to either: 1) the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH); or 2) the Patient Centered Home plus a health coaching intervention that employs a positive affect/self-affirmation intervention to help motivate patients to succeed at implementing self-management by setting life goals (experimental). This RCT embeds novel effective interventions within large FQHC networks, namely, Community Healthcare Network and the Family Health Centers of New York University (NYU) Langone in NYC and Erie Family Health Centers and Friend Family Health Center in Chicago, serving patients with multiple chronic diseases or high comorbidity. This CER study compares two PCMH-based strategies and will provide a manualized training system that can be disseminated and implemented across the national FQHC networks, with over 9,000 delivery sites that serve nearly 25 million low-income and minority patients, and can be implemented in a wider range of practice settings, organization types and population characteristics. Among 1920 adult patients with a Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥4 who are established primary care patients of 16 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in NYC (8 FQHCs) and Chicago (8 FQHCs) this pragmatic cRCT aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two approaches to preventing destabilization that leads to unplanned hospitalization and increased disability. This Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study builds on the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) Clinical Data Research Networks (CDRNs) in NYC and Chicago. Patients will be identified via electronic health records (EHRs) and their outcomes assessed through comprehensive, longitudinal, electronic health records that are aggregated by these PCORnet CDRNs.

Conditions

Comorbidity, Self-Management

Study Overview

Study Details

Study overview

This pragmatic cluster randomized clinical trial (cRCT) aims to evaluate the comparative effectiveness (CER) of two approaches to preventing destabilization ("tipping points") that lead to unplanned hospitalization and increased disability. The cRCT compares the outcomes of patients randomized in clusters by site within four Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) networks in New York City (NYC) and Chicago to either: 1) the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH); or 2) the Patient Centered Home plus a health coaching intervention that employs a positive affect/self-affirmation intervention to help motivate patients to succeed at implementing self-management by setting life goals (experimental). This RCT embeds novel effective interventions within large FQHC networks, namely, Community Healthcare Network and the Family Health Centers of New York University (NYU) Langone in NYC and Erie Family Health Centers and Friend Family Health Center in Chicago, serving patients with multiple chronic diseases or high comorbidity. This CER study compares two PCMH-based strategies and will provide a manualized training system that can be disseminated and implemented across the national FQHC networks, with over 9,000 delivery sites that serve nearly 25 million low-income and minority patients, and can be implemented in a wider range of practice settings, organization types and population characteristics. Among 1920 adult patients with a Charlson Comorbidity Index ≥4 who are established primary care patients of 16 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) in NYC (8 FQHCs) and Chicago (8 FQHCs) this pragmatic cRCT aims to evaluate the effectiveness of two approaches to preventing destabilization that leads to unplanned hospitalization and increased disability. This Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) study builds on the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet) Clinical Data Research Networks (CDRNs) in NYC and Chicago. Patients will be identified via electronic health records (EHRs) and their outcomes assessed through comprehensive, longitudinal, electronic health records that are aggregated by these PCORnet CDRNs.

Preventing Tipping Points in High Comorbidity Patients: A Lifeline From Health Coaches

Preventing Tipping Points in High Comorbidity Patients: A Lifeline From Health Coaches

Condition
Comorbidity
Intervention / Treatment

-

Contacts and Locations

Chicago

Friend Health, Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60615

Chicago

Erie Family Health Centers, Chicago, Illinois, United States, 60622

Brooklyn

Family Health Centers at NYU Langone, Brooklyn, New York, United States, 11220

New York

Community Healthcare Network, New York, New York, United States, 10010

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

For general information about clinical research, read Learn About Studies.

Eligibility Criteria

  • * Established patients of the participating Federally Qualified Health Centers (FHQCs)
  • * Charlson comorbidity index ≥4
  • * Metastatic cancer,
  • * End stage renal disease on dialysis
  • * Post-transplant
  • * Severe mental illness
  • * Drug/alcohol abuse
  • * Cannot communicate in English or Spanish.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 Years to

Sexes Eligible for Study

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Collaborators and Investigators

Clinical Directors Network,

Jonathan N Tobin, PhD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Clinical Directors Network

Mary Charlson, MD, PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR, Weill Medical College of Cornell University

Andrea Cassells, MPH, STUDY_DIRECTOR, Clinical Directors Network

Anisa Mian, MPH, STUDY_DIRECTOR, Clinical Directors Network

Study Record Dates

2025-12-01