Veteran healthcare program SALUTE from ECRI is spreading nationwide

ECRI’s SALUTE program launched a year ago to improve veteran healthcare by providing free resources and a collaborative learning network for healthcare organizations nationwide. 

As the SALUTE network marked the program’s one-year anniversary June 3, healthcare leaders are celebrating the program’s early successes and looking ahead to what’s next.

Impact Milestones

• The SALUTE toolkit has been downloaded by healthcare organizations around the U.S. more than 400 times.
• 137 organizations and care leaders have joined the SALUTE Honor Roll, committing to using its resources to drive systemic improvements in veteran healthcare.
• Leading organizations such as the National Association of Community Health Centers, American Nurses Association, and Infusion Nurses Society joined SALUTE Honor Roll.

Step One: Screen for Veteran Status

“More work is needed to accurately identify veterans within the patient population,” says program leader Shannon Davila, MSN, RN, CPPS, CPHQ, CIC, FAPIC, Executive Director of ECRI’s Total Systems Approach to Safety. “Standardizing how we ask and document the question ‘have you served’ and making sure that healthcare team members have access to that information is so important to improving care coordination.”

Case Study: Well

That’s precisely what one leading SALUTE Honor Roll organization has instituted. Well, a health technology company, has been a key partner in SALUTE. They adapted a questionnaire screening tool from the SALUTE toolkit into their personalized health platform, which revealed nearly half of their members are veterans or have a family member who is a veteran.

This enhanced feature, built upon the SALUTE framework, also helped uncover the patients’ most common health exposures or hazards, such as burn pits and airborne hazards veterans had faced from their time in active duty.

Well has incorporated many of the SALUTE tools and frameworks into their personalized health platform. Well has also used SALUTE resources to address key topics such as social and behavioral health issues, PTSD, and the transition to civilian life.

Expanding Impact

ECRI continues to partner with national associations and community-based organizations to SALUTE’s resources and insights.

• The National Rural Health Association Rural Access Conference featured a presentation by ECRI and SALUTE Honor Roll member Adagio Health about SALUTE’s novel approach to identify unmet needs and provide the support for female veterans in rural settings.
• An American Nurses Association (ANA) webinar on veteran healthcare in May and featured ECRI’s insights and experience operating SALUTE.
• A National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) webinar about engaging veterans as partners in their own care and improving the military cultural competence of healthcare providers featured the efforts of the West Virginia Primary Care Association to implement SALUTE in their health centers state-wide.
• The Infusion Nurses Society Annual Conference included a presentation by ECRI on SALUTE which emphasized communication strategies nurses can employ to help reduce disparities in the veteran patient population.
• ECRI’s Community of Practice virtual events have convened hospitals and healthcare providers from across the U.S. to share success stories, best practices, and lessons learned from SALUTE implementation – including Honor Roll members Oklahoma Flex Rural Veterans Health Access Program sharing outcomes from their Project ECHO; and Well sharing data gathered through the implementation of SALUTE’s screening tool.

Passionate Leadership Matters

Shannon Davila, who was inspired to create the program in part by her own experience as a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, said it has been exciting to see SALUTE build momentum and engage with organizations nationwide.

“One of the key takeaways from our first year is that it’s critical to have leadership in an institution support veteran issues within each healthcare organization,” added Davila. “The most successful initiatives are led by team members who are truly passionate about improving outcomes for veterans.”

Tools to Transform Care

The free SALUTE toolkit equips providers and organizations with practical resources, including:

• Training materials and "60 Seconds of Listening to Improve Diagnostic Safety" slides
• A Veteran Engagement Systems Assessment
• A "Be the Expert on You" checklist for veterans
• A white paper on partnering with veterans for equitable care
• A webinar outlining SALUTE strategies and engagement best practices

Join the Movement

ECRI invites healthcare providers and organizations across the care ecosystem to download the free SALUTE toolkit and join the growing community making healthcare safer and more equitable for America’s veterans. Learn more at ECRI SALUTE Program.

SALUTE Honor Roll organizations

More than 130 organizations and care leaders have joined the SALUTE Honor Roll, including these national leaders:

• National Association of Community Health Centers
• American Nurses Association
• Infusion Nurses Society
• Jefferson Health
• Well
• Adagio Health
• West Virginia Primary Care Association
• PICC Excellence, Inc.
• Michigan Center for Rural Health
• University of Maryland Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Institute
• Oklahoma State University - Center for Rural Health
• King Faisal Hospital (Saudi Arabia)
• Thundermist Health Center
  
• Bellaire & East Jordan Family Health Centers
• Mercer University
• Center for Rural Health, OSU Center for Health Sciences
• Washington Health Institute
• North Side Christian Health Center