Grant for Improving Venous Thromboembolism Diagnosis and Treatment (US)

Deadline: 30-Sep-2026

The Quality Improvement Grant supports U.S.-based organizations implementing quality improvement projects to improve the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in primary care and family medicine settings. Offered by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) in collaboration with the Pfizer/Bristol-Myers Squibb Alliance, the grant provides up to $250,000 per project for up to 24 months. What Is the Quality Improvement Grant? The Quality Improvement Grant is designed to help healthcare organizations strengthen the prevention, recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management of venous thromboembolism (VTE). VTE is a serious condition involving blood clots in the veins. It includes conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE). The funding opportunity focuses specifically on improving VTE care within primary care and family medicine settings in the United States. The programme seeks projects that can translate clinical education and evidence-based guidelines into measurable improvements in everyday healthcare practice. Systems for monitoring and improving patient outcomes. Successful projects should go beyond providing education alone. They should demonstrate how education, workflow improvements, technology, multidisciplinary collaboration, or other interventions can produce measurable changes in clinical practice and patient care. What Is Venous Thromboembolism? Venous thromboembolism (VTE) refers to blood clots that form in the venous system. The two major forms of VTE are:

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): A blood clot that develops in a deep vein, commonly in the leg.

Pulmonary embolism (PE): A potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when a blood clot travels to the lungs.

Because VTE can result in serious complications, timely recognition, appropriate diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment are important components of quality primary care. What Types of Projects Are Encouraged? The grant encourages projects that produce practical improvements in VTE care. Unaffiliated medical practice groups that cannot receive funding directly through the required organizational arrangement. The project lead must be an employee or contractor of the requesting organization. What Should the Project Lead Do? The project lead should be directly connected to the applicant organization. The lead is expected to help develop and oversee the proposed quality improvement initiative and ensure that the project is implemented according to the approved plan. Applicants should therefore identify a project lead with appropriate clinical, quality improvement, administrative, or subject-matter expertise. What Makes a Strong Proposal? A strong proposal should clearly explain the existing VTE care gap and how the proposed intervention will address it.

Applications should demonstrate:

A clearly defined clinical or quality improvement problem. Evidence that the problem exists within the target population or healthcare setting. Use of evidence-based approaches. Clear and measurable improvement objectives. Appropriate quality improvement methodology. System-level or workflow improvements. Multidisciplinary collaboration where appropriate. Patient engagement and education. Specific outcome and process measures. A realistic implementation timeline. A credible evaluation strategy. Potential for long-term sustainability. Projects should also explain how improvements will continue after the grant period ends. Importance of Measurable Outcomes Applicants are expected to establish clear target metrics. The specific metrics should be appropriate to the project’s objectives and aligned with relevant clinical guidelines. Role of Multidisciplinary Collaboration Priority is given to projects that use system-based approaches and multidisciplinary collaboration. Depending on the project, collaboration may involve: Family physicians. Primary care clinicians. Nurses. Pharmacists. Specialists. Quality improvement professionals. Healthcare administrators. Patient educators. Data and informatics teams. A multidisciplinary approach can help ensure that improvements are integrated into routine clinical workflows rather than remaining isolated educational activities. How to Develop a Project Proposal Organizations considering an application can structure their project development around the following steps.

Step 1: Identify the VTE Care Gap

Clearly identify a problem affecting VTE prevention, recognition, diagnosis, treatment, management, or patient adherence. Explain why the problem is important within the organization’s primary care setting.

Step 2: Define the Target Population

Identify the patients, clinicians, practices, or healthcare systems that will benefit from the intervention. The target population should be clearly connected to the identified quality gap.

Step 3: Design the Quality Improvement Intervention

Describe the specific intervention that will address the problem. Possible components include workflow redesign, clinical decision support, provider education, patient education, data monitoring, or multidisciplinary care.

Step 4: Establish Measurable Objectives

Define specific outcomes that can be measured during the project. Objectives should allow the organization to determine whether the intervention actually improved VTE care.

Step 5: Develop an Evaluation Strategy

Explain how baseline performance will be assessed and how changes will be measured throughout the project. The evaluation plan should correspond directly to the project’s objectives and metrics.

Step 6: Build a Sustainability Plan

Explain how successful interventions can become part of normal clinical practice after grant funding ends. What is the purpose of the Quality Improvement Grant? The grant supports U.S.-based organizations seeking to improve the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management of venous thromboembolism in primary car