Christine Hartmann is a Supervisory Research Health Scientist, Center for Healthcare Organization and Implementation Research at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford; and a Research Associate Professor, Department of Health Law, Policy and Management at the School of Public Health, Boston University, in Massachusetts. Lisa Minor is Director, Community Living Centers, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Office of Geriatrics and Extended Care in Washington, DC. Lynn Snow is a Research Health Scientist at Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center and a Professor in the Alabama Research Institute on Aging and the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Correspondence: Christine Hartmann (christine.hartmann@va.gov)
Author disclosures The authors report no actual or potential conflicts of interest with regard to this article.
Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of Federal Practitioner, Frontline Medical Communications Inc., the US Government, or any of its agencies.
Through implementation of the LOCK bundle of practices, VA Community Living Center staff develop, pilot, and spread new systems for communication, teamwork, and collaborative problem solving as well as for developing skills to participate effectively in these systems.
Conclusion
A key CONCERT principle is that health care systems create health care outcomes. The CONCERT team uses the theory of relational coordination to support implementation of the LOCK bundle of practices to help CLCs change their systems to achieve high performance. Through implementation of the LOCK bundle of practices, CLC staff develop, pilot, and spread new systems for communication, teamwork, and collaborative problem solving, as well as developing skills to participate effectively in these systems. CONCERT represents just 1 way VA supports CLCs in their continual journeys toward ever-improved quality of veteran care.
Acknowledgments The authors thank Barbara Frank and Cathie Brady for their contributions to the development of the CONCERT program.
