Recruiting

VCR2PImproving Veteran Referral to Cardiac Rehabilitation

Sponsor:

VA Office of Research and Development

Code:

NCT07079358

Conditions

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Interventions

Veterans Cardiac Rehabilitation Referral Program

Study Details

Brief summary:

This study will test whether the Veterans Cardiac Rehabilitation Referral Program (VCR2P) improves cardiac rehabilitation participation by studying 816 Veterans across three VA medical centers in Nashville, Dallas, and Gainesville over 12 months. The trial compares referral rates from the 6 months before implementing the program to 6 months after, using a "before and after" design since randomization would be impractical. The study will measure whether the program increases the proportion of eligible Veterans who receive cardiac rehabilitation referrals and whether more Veterans actually attend rehabilitation sessions. Additionally, focus groups with physicians, nurses, and Veterans will identify what helps or hinders the program's success, providing essential insights for expanding this intervention to other VA facilities nationwide if it proves effective.

Conditions

Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiac Rehabilitation

Study ID

NCT07079358

Start date

Feb 23, 2026

Status verified date

Jun, 2026

Completion date

Dec 31, 2029

Anticipated

Primary completion date

Jul 1, 2028

Anticipated

Eligibility Criteria

Sex: All

Age: 18+

Healthy Volunteers: Not accepted

Inclusion Criteria:

All Veterans hospitalized with acute myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, cardiac valve surgery, coronary artery bypass grafting, or systolic heart failure at the three participating VA medical centers (Nashville, Dallas, and Gainesville).

Exclusion Criteria:

No exclusion criteria during the intervention period

however, post-hoc analysis will exclude Veterans with documented reasons preventing CR attendance including death during hospitalization or within 30 days of discharge, discharge to inpatient rehabilitation or skilled nursing facilities, significant cognitive impairment, high-risk ventricular arrhythmias, or explicit refusal of CR services.

Study Design

Enrollment

816 participants

Anticipated

Intervention Model

Single group

Primary purpose

Health Services Research

Interventions and Outcome Measures

Arms

experimental: Veterans Cardiac Rehabilitation Referral Program

All eligible Veterans hospitalized with cardiac rehabilitation-eligible conditions (acute myocardial infarction, coronary artery bypass grafting, percutaneous coronary intervention, cardiac valve surgery, or systolic heart failure) will receive the VCR2P intervention.

Interventions

Veterans Cardiac Rehabilitation Referral Program

1. A CDS tool that identifies Veterans hospitalized with CR-eligible conditions and prompts physicians to refer them to CR.
2. Educational materials that explain to Veterans the benefits and importance of participating in CR.
3. Defined responsibilities for a facility-based CR referral coordinator who will support development and oversight of the referral process.

Primary outcome measure

Cardiac rehabilitation referral [ Time Frame: From hospital admission to 30 days after discharge ]

Central Contacts and Locations

Central contacts

Justin M Bachmann, MD MPH

(615) 327-4751 justin.bachmann2@va.gov

Ray Stokes Peebles, MD

(615) 327-4751 Ray.Peebles@va.gov

Locations

North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FL

Recruiting

Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32608-1135

Contacts

David E Winchester, MD MS BS

352-548-6000 David.Winchester@va.gov

Tennessee Valley Healthcare System Nashville Campus, Nashville, TN

Recruiting

Nashville, Tennessee, United States, 37212-2637

Contacts

Justin M Bachmann, MD MPH

615-327-4751 justin.bachmann2@va.gov

Ray Stokes Peebles, MD

(615) 327-4751 Ray.Peebles@va.gov

Principal Investigator:

Justin M Bachmann, MD MPH

VA North Texas Health Care System Dallas VA Medical Center, Dallas, TX

Recruiting

Dallas, Texas, United States, 75216-7167

Contacts

Katherine C Michelis

214-857-1472 katherine.michelis@va.gov

More Information

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Last update posted

Jun 17, 2026

Last verified

Jun, 2026

Keywords

Cardiac Rehabilitation
Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Trial

Trial information was received from ClinicalTrials.gov and was last updated on 2026-09-10. This information was provided to ClinicalTrials.gov by VA Office of Research and Development on 2026-06-17.