The Pittsburgh VA Interdisciplinary Medical Preoperative Assessment Consultation and Treatment Clinic (IMPACT) team found most post-surgery VA readmissions could have been avoided with the proper safety net in place.

VA's Surgical Safety Net reduces readmissions, improves veterans' experiences and saves costs by identifying patients who are at risk for readmission and giving them access to underutilized resources, according to a June 13 news release.

“I applied for Shark Tank because we felt Surgical Safety Net yielded promising results at Pittsburgh VA,” Dr. Visala Muluk said in the release. “Shark Tank gave our team an opportunity to look at our process in a very positive perspective. Looking at our results and actual numbers gave us the confidence that this is a best practice. The competition gave me exposure across VA, and a lot of visibility among all stakeholders across the nation."

With tests at Pittsburgh showing positive results, the team turned to Diffusion of Excellence in an effort to share the practice across the VA and impact more veterans, the release said. Hoping to promote similar results across VA, Muluk applied to Diffusion's 2022 VHA Shark Tank Competition.

Surgical Safety Net won the competition, and Muluk worked to replicate her Promising Practice at Central Arkansas VA, with Central Arkansas being one of several bids placed by VA Medical Center Center directors, the release reported.

With the support of Diffusion Specialist Danielle Hagan, the IMPACT team is continuing to spread its practices across VA. The team is engaging national leads, VA program offices and VA innovators, especially those focused on improving surgical results for American veterans, according to the release.

After its launch in 2011, the IMPACT team, led by Muluk, provides veterans with coordinated virtual evaluations, education and general recovery support, the release said. In 2013, their efforts began to pay off, as Pittsburgh VA readmission rates decreased by 25% and patient satisfaction and positive experience rates improved.