Form 0920-1453 Att 3f. Eval Assessment_CQM_Partner_Interview Guide_NCHP

Form Approved

OMB No. 0920-1453

Exp. Date 12/31/2027

In-Depth Assessment – Evaluability Assessment Partner Interview Guide – Clinical Quality Measure – The National Cardiovascular Health Program & The Innovative Cardiovascular Health Program

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Evaluability Assessment

Partner Interview Guide

Date of Interview
Interviewer
Notetaker
Organization Name
Organization Type
State
Organization City		Zip Code
Cooperative Agreement	☐ The National CVH Program ☐ The Innovative CVH Program
Strategy	Strategy 1: Track and Monitor Clinical Measures
Interviewee Name(s)
Interviewee Role(s) or Title(s)

Introduction

Thank you for taking the time to participate in this interview. My name is <insert name> and I am with the Deloitte evaluation team. Our team is working with the CDC Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention to evaluate the <insert Cooperative Agreement>. As part of the CDC-led evaluation, we are conducting evaluability assessment interviews to provide detailed insight into how recipients and their partners are prioritizing populations of focus impacted by the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease through Strategy 1: Track and Monitor Clinical Measures. We hope to learn about the function, structure, goals, and activities of your program in today’s discussion. Additionally, the evaluability assessment will be used to identify recipients and partners with promising approaches, who will be invited to participate in an exploratory assessment during PY4.

Our team has drafted a logic model based on program materials that your team shared with us prior to this interview. We may refer to the draft logic model throughout the interview to facilitate discussion on program goals, activities, desired outcomes, and contextual factors.

This interview is expected to take no longer than 90 minutes. Please answer questions based on your own knowledge and experience. Remember, you are the expert and that there are no right or wrong answers. If at any time during the interview you are not clear about what we are asking, be sure to let me know. Your participation in this interview is completely voluntary. You may choose not to respond to questions at any time and it will not in any way impact the funding or technical assistance your organizations receive from CDC.

Steps will be taken to protect your privacy; no information that identifies you will be shared with anyone except our project staff. All information will be kept secure and any personally identifiable information will be removed when results are aggregated for analysis.

Do you consent to this interview?

☐ Yes

☐ No

With your permission, we would like to record this interview for transcription purposes. 

Do we have your permission to record?

​​☐​ Yes 

​​☐​ No 

 

Do you have any questions or concerns before we start the discussion? 

Background

Thank you again for participating in this interview. For reference, today’s interview we will be talking about Strategy 1, which is focused on tracking and monitoring clinical measures.

First, we would like to learn a little about you and your organization.

[Interviewer Note: Use the following question to confirm information learned from the nomination form and document review about interviewee’s organization]

1. From the <nomination form, APR, work plan, EPMP, etc.>, we learned that your organization offers <programs and services> for <population >. Is this correct? Is there anything else you would like to add or clarify?

Probes:

• What types of services/programs, related to < implementing EHRs/HITs, tracking and monitoring clinical measures, using quality improvement tools>, does your organization offer to support individuals who have or who are at high risk for high blood pressure or high cholesterol?

• How long has your organization been offering these services/implementing these programs?

• Can you describe to me the different populations (i.e. race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, sex, geography, <census tracts for Innovative CVH Program>) that your organization typically serves?

[Interviewer Note: Use the following question to understand the interviewee’s role related to the nominated strategy/sub-strategies.]

2. What is your role and what are your specific responsibilities related to <name of NOFO>?

Probes:

• How long have you been working with <organization name>?

• How long have you been in this role?

• Can you tell me about your role in relation to <implementing EHRs/HITs, tracking and monitoring clinical measures, using quality improvement tools> within your organization?

Program Implementation

[Interviewer Note: Ask about each nominated sub-strategy for the Program Implementation questions.]

Next, we would like to discuss how your organization works with <name of recipient> to track and monitor clinical measures for hypertension control. We’re interested in learning more about the program goals, key activities, implementation strategy, and intended program reach.

[Interviewer Note: Use the following question to understand the implementation of the nominated strategy/sub-strategies. Confirm what we’ve learned from the document review and nomination form. Tailor the language based on how partner refers to their program and activities rather than using NOFO specific language.]

3. According to the <organization’s program materials, recipient-led evaluation deliverables, nomination form>, your program approach related to <EHRs/HIT and CQM> is <description of program. > Can you tell us more about the key activities and core components of <program name>? Describe things like the types of interventions being implemented, how it is implemented, and in what settings.

Probes:

• Where is the intervention implemented?

• What EHR systems does your organization use?

• What standardized processes or tools are used?

  • Examples: Data quality review meetings, provider prompts, dashboards, other software, etc.

• 1A: How does your program increase the use of EHRs/HIT to identify, track, and monitor measures for clinical and social services?

  • What are the steps involved?

  • What measures are being tracked and reported?

  • How are data on clinical and social services measures used?

• 1B: What interventions support the identification of patient social services and support needs?

  • What standardized processes or tools are used to support patient identification?

• 1B: What program activities promote the monitoring and assessment of referrals and utilization of social services?

  • What is the process for monitoring referrals and utilization?

  • What measures are being tracked and reported?

  • How are referral and utilization (i.e., referral enrollment and completion) data used?

4. Now, that we understand more about <program name >, please describe the team that supports <EHR/HIT activities>.   

Probes:

• Who is responsible for tracking and reporting clinical and social service measures? Who reviews the data and/or receives the data reports?

• Does your organization have a dedicated quality improvement team? 

• How big is this team, who is it comprised of? What are their roles? 

5. What are the goals of <name of program(s)> and how will the <program(s)> achieve these goals?

Probe:

• What do you hope to achieve through quality improvement and CQM-related activities?

6. What is the <program’s> population of focus? What demographics, patient characteristics, or geographies are you prioritizing?

Probes:

• What barriers do the population(s) of focus face in terms of management and treatment of CVD?

• What tools and resources have you used to understand or identify the differences in health outcomes in your population of focus?

7. How do your <EHRs/HIT activities> address differences in health outcomes related to hypertension and high cholesterol?

Probes:

• How are quality improvement efforts tailored to the needs of your population of focus?

• How do EHR/HIT activities address the needs of your population?

• How are EHR/HIT activities tailored to the needs of your population?

8. How do you work with <name of recipient organization> to implement <CQM activities>?

Probes:

• In what ways does <recipient organization name> support your work? For example, technical assistance, training opportunities, resources, networking, etc.

• What are the strengths in the partnership? What are the gaps?

9. Are you familiar with the learning collaborative (LC)?

Probe:

• [If yes] Are you involved in the LC? How so and what is your role?

10. [If yes to Q8] What has been the role of the learning collaborative (LC) in program implementation?

Probes:

• How does the LC support your work?

• How does the LC influence partnership networking? What about program reach?

11. What other partnerships are in place to support <CQM strategy/sub-strategy implementation>?

Probe:

• What has worked well and what hasn’t worked as well with your partnerships?

Now that we’ve learned more about your program approach from its goals and operations, we would like to learn more about the extent of program implementation, successes and challenges with implementation, and factors that may support or hinder activities.

12. Tell us more about your progress related to <name of program> and <EHRs/HIT and CQM activities>?

Probe:

• Tell us more about milestones and other achievements.

• What are some areas where you did not make as much progress as anticipated?

13. What are your future implementation plans? How will you continue your partnership with the <name of recipient organization>, if at all?

Probe:

• Please describe what you hope to accomplish in the next two years (i.e., by September 2026 – September 2027).

14. Can you tell us about the contextual factors that support or hinder activities related to <tracking and monitoring clinical measures>?

Probes:

• Describe external factors.

• Describe internal factors.

15. What would you say are the strengths of your <program name>?

Probe:

• What factors positively affect <CQM strategy/sub-strategy implementation> or help the program be successful?

1. What challenges have you experienced with <CQM strategy/sub-strategy implementation>?

Probes:

• How are these challenges addressed?

• What support do you need to overcome these barriers?

17. What have been some key lessons learned from your experience partnering with <recipient and NOFO names> to implement <CQM activities>?

Program Evaluation

[Interviewer Note: Ask about each nominated sub-strategy in the Program Evaluation questions.]

We would like to understand to what extent the <EHR/HIT and CQM activities> have been or are currently being evaluated. We are also interested in learning about your organization’s capacity to evaluate <program activities>.

1. Who is primarily responsible for tracking and reporting data to <name of recipient> related to <CQM implementation> for <name of cooperative agreement>?

Probes:

• What is your role in data collection and monitoring and evaluation efforts?

• Are other members or organizations involved in data collection? Describe their roles and responsibilities.

2. What data do you or your organization collect to help monitor <program activities> and evaluate its success?

Probes:

• What types of metrics or indicators do you use to measure progress and monitor implementation?

  • [If the interviewee only mentions PMs] What about metrics other than the NOFO performance measures?

• How is success measured?

• What outcomes do you track? What outcomes do you expect to have by September 2026 – September 2027 (Y4)?

  • [If the interviewee only mentions PMs] What about outcomes beyond the NOFO performance measures?

[Interviewer Note: Only ask remaining questions if partner organization is involved with data collection and evaluation]

3. How do you collect the data needed for monitoring and reporting of <CQM> for <name of cooperative agreement>?

Probes:

• What data collection tools or instruments are used to track data (paper, electronic)?

  • [If not already provided] Request to see and get copies of data, data collection tools, or evaluation reports.

• Describe the process used to collect data.

• Describe how <name of organization> uses the data.

• Do you collect data at specified points over time (time series)? What length of time? How frequently?

4. What, if any, barriers have you encountered with data collection or monitoring and reporting activities?

Probes:

• What barriers, if any, do you anticipate in data collection or reporting related to outcome or impact?

• What specific strategies have been used or will be used to overcome these barriers?

• What additional support or TA do you need from <name recipient organization>? What about the CDC?

• What have been some lessons learned from your experience with data collection and reporting related to <CQM> for <name of cooperative agreement>?

5. What have you learned so far about your program from your monitoring and reporting efforts?

Probes:

• What findings can you share about implementation progress?

• What outcomes can you report at this point?

• How are data being used to make improvements?

6. What is the timeline for the next phase of data collection and reporting?

Probes:

• What are key events for data collection and reporting?

• Are there anticipated barriers for the next phase?

7. Do you share results with external audiences related to <CQM implementation> such as funders, partners, decision makers, constituents, or others?

Probes:

• What types of findings do you share? How do you share your findings?

Do they use any of the information you provide? In what sorts of ways?

8. If <name of recipient> is selected to participate in an exploratory assessment of your program, to what extent would your site have the capacity to contribute to detailed data collection on outcomes and/or cost?

Probes:

• What kind of assistance do you think you would need?

• Are there any other important considerations we should know about your readiness/capacity to participate in an evaluation?

Closing

Lastly, what questions do you have for me? Is there anything else you’d like to share?

Thank you again for participating. This concludes our discussion about CQM implementation. If you have any additional questions, please feel free to contact the Comprehensive Evaluation Team, [email protected].