Kathleen Tschantz Unroe, MD, MHA, MS

Contact : kunroe@iu.edu

We are providing education and training in real-world environments to develop a new model of care, putting increased resources into nursing homes, which we hope will result in system change in Indiana and across the nation.

Initiatives

Applied Aging Research

Research Scientist, Indiana University Center for Aging Research at Regenstrief Institute
Associate Professor of Medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine

Dr. Kathleen Unroe’s research, clinical and policy interests are focused on improving quality of care — particularly access to palliative and end-of-life care — for nursing home residents. Dr. Unroe is co-PI of UPLIFT, an NIH R01 clinical trial to test a robust model of palliative care for nursing home residents, and co-PI of APPROACHES an NIH R33 pragmatic trial of advance care planning in nursing homes. She also led OPTIMISTIC, a novel 8-year, $30.3 million CMS-funded demonstration project aimed at improving quality of care and reducing unnecessary hospitalizations in 40 Indiana nursing homes. She was awarded a 2014 Paul B. Beeson K23 Career Development Award to examine hospice use in nursing homes. She was a 2009-2010 Health and Aging Policy Fellow and had a placement in Health and Human Services ASPE Office of Disability, Aging, and Long-Term Care Policy. Dr. Unroe is the founder and Chief Medical Officer of Probari, a business designed to disseminate the successful OPTIMISTIC clinical care model.

Featured Projects

UPLIFT-AD (Utilizing Palliative care Leaders In Facilities to Transform care for Alzheimer’s Disease)

(R01 – NIA) (2020-2025)

Role: Co-Principal Investigator

This clinical trial is testing a comprehensive palliative care model in nursing homes in Indiana and Maryland. This randomized, stepped wedge trial includes both internal primary care training and tools for nursing home staff and external specialty palliative care consultants and will measure perceived quality of life for residents with moderate to advanced dementia.

Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents - Phase 2

(CMS) (2016-2020)

Role: Principal Investigator

The purpose of this second phase of OPTIMISTIC (Optimizing Patient Transfers, Impacting Medical Quality and Improving Symptoms: Transforming Institutional Care) is to implement and test a new payment model with the goal of improving health and health care for long-term care facility residents and ultimately reducing potentially avoidable hospital admissions.

A Nursing Home Pragmatic Clinical Trial of APPROACHES (Aligning Patient Preferences: A Role Offering Alzheimer’s patient, Caregivers, and Healthcare providers Education and Support)

(R33 – NIH/NIA)

Role: Co-Principal Investigator

This project will conduct a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial aimed at improving advanced care planning and goal-directed outcomes in nursing home patients with Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia.