Homeless Veterans and Peer Whole Health Coaching

Ten percent of patients account for up to 70% of acute care costs. Among these "super-utilizer" patients, homelessness is a robust social determinant of acute care utilization. Through a field-based dashboard and clinical aids, the Hot Spotter Analytic program assists Patient Aligned Care Teams (PACT) with targeting and tailoring care for the highest-need homeless Veterans. However, many Veterans identified by the Analytics do not engage in supportive services that reduce risk for acute care utilization. Peer Specialists (PS) are a high-value workforce that can facilitate Veterans' engagement in care. Yet, there is a need to enhance the PS role with a structured approach that can capitalize on known facilitators of care engagement among homeless Veterans. Whole Health Coaching (WHC) is one such approach. By focusing on patients' values and goals rather than treatment of specific conditions, WHC reduces patients' stigma regarding their care needs and increases patient activation and well-being, which can increase engagement in supportive services. The goal of this project is to integrate use of Hot Spotter Analytics with Peer Specialists trained in Whole Health Coaching (PS-WHC) and evaluate whether this approach reduces homeless Veterans' frequent use of acute care. Using a Hybrid Type 1 design at the Palo Alto, Bedford, and North Little Rock VAs, the investigators will test whether receipt of PS-WHC (vs. Enhanced Usual Care; EUC) predicts (1a) lower acute care utilization, (1b) better health-related outcomes, and whether (1c) the effects of PS-WHC on 1a and 1b are mediated by increased (i) patient activation and well-being, and (ii) access to supportive services. Aim 2: Conduct a process evaluation to inform VA's potential widespread implementation of Hot Spotter Analytics + PS-WHC on PACTs. Aim 3: Conduct a Budget Impact Analysis to determine the impact on total costs of VA care due to implementing PS-WHC.