Summaries of Independent Scientist (K) Awards

Auerbach, Andrew D.

Institution: University of California, San Francisco
Grant Title: Medical-Surgical Co-management Evaluating a New Award
Grant Number: K08 HS11416
Duration: 5 years (2002-2007)
Total Award: $608,850

Project Description: This project has three main goals:

1. Derivation of a medical complication risk index to identify high risk patients.
2. A randomized control trial of co-management of at-risk patients identified by the index, and will examine co-management's impact on patient safety (as measured by medical complication rates), utilization, and patient satisfaction.
3. Refinement of data collection strategies for use in future multi-center studies.

Career Goals: Dr. Auerbach is Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He completed a fellowship in General Internal Medicine and received an M.P.H. from Harvard School of Public Health in 1998. He is also on the faculty at UCSF as a clinician-researcher and hospitalist in the Department of Medicine. His clinical responsibilities involve patient care on the general medical ward and medical consultation service. This award will allow the candidate to develop new skills important to his clinical and research career. It will also provide a setting in which he will become an independent investigator in peri-operative medicine outcomes research and organizational methods to improve peri-operative patient safety.

Progress to Date: Dr. Auerbach has begun work toward the research goals of the project.  He continues to participate in research conferences and symposia at UCSF and co-chaired the UCSF continuing medical education (CME) conference on peri-operative medicine and medical consultation. He also has been involved in preparing and submitting RO1 and foundation grants for work examining inpatient systems of care for general medicine patients, and for risk stratification of surgical patients. He also has developed an innovative project to assess whether new biomarkers can be used, along with clinical data, to improve early identification of patients at risk for medical complications after surgery

Future Plans: Dr. Auerbach will continue his clinical presence as an attending physician on the general medicine ward service as well on the medical consultation service. Likewise, he will continue to co-chair a UCSF perioperative patient safety committee. Directed readings under the guidance of mentors will be undertaken.

Highlights and Accomplishments:

• Assistant Professor of Medicine in Residence, Harvard Medical School.
• Coursework at UCSF in clinical trials, 2003.
• Coursework at UC, Berkeley in organizational theory, 2004.
• Clinician on the general medicine ward service.
• Co-chair on the UCSF peri-operative patient safety committee focusing on appropriate use of peri-operative beta-blockers.
• Chair of the California State CMS initiative to reduce surgical site infections.
• Co-chaired a one-day CME conference on peri-operative medicine and medical consultation attended by more than 140 physicians.
• Mentor of junior faculty and fellows.
• Investigation on whether biomarkers (such as high-sensitivity C-reactive protein, a predictor of cardiac risk) can be used to select patients for early medical intervention, which uses the data infrastructure of this K award.

K-Generated Publications:

• Auerbach AD, Goldman L. Peri-Operative Beta-blockers and the Reduction of Cardiac Events: Clinical Applications. JAMA 2005 (in press).

AHRQ Research Portfolios: Quality and Patient Safety; Training; Prevention.
AHRQ Goals: Safety and Quality

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