The purpose of the study, which is
funded by the VA’s Office of Analytics and Business Intelligence,
is to conduct a survey of Veterans to capture novel predictors of
hospital admission and identify clusters of complex patients based
on survey- and claims-based covariates. This study provides the
first empirical application of the Cycle of Complexity conceptual
model that the study team developed and recently published, which
postulates that patient complexity represents more than having
multiple chronic conditions. It is critical to evaluate whether
complexity defined on the basis of survey-based and claims-based
covariates is more predictive than diagnosis of multiple chronic
conditions based on claims data alone. The proposed patient survey
is designed to measure a broad range of self-reported patient
factors that increase Veterans’ risk for being admitted to
hospital, including life stressors, perceived locus of control,
grit, resilience, functional status, social support and loneliness,
sleep problems, symptoms, food insecurity, and patient activation.
This survey will help us understand, for the first time, the extent
to which self-reported factors can markedly improve prediction of
patient risk for hospital admission, which may help the VA Office
of Analytics and Business Intelligence improve its risk prediction
models. This project may also identify patient-reported outcomes
(PROs) that can be effectively integrated into routine VA clinical
practice, as the VA begins to explore inclusion of PROs into the VA
electronic health record. We are requesting approval to conduct
this survey to a nationally representative sample of 10,000
patients who obtain primary care in VA because there are no extant
VA surveys that capture the range of patient factors that we
propose to collect, which are not available in VA administrative
databases. If we did not capture these patient factors, our risk
prediction analysis might be incorrect or biased.
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that
the collection of information encompassed by this request complies
with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR
1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding
the proposed collection of information, that the certification
covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a
benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control
number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of
these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked
and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.