The following is a list of current projects taking place in the Barczi Lab.
VA Geriatric Scholars Program
The VA Geriatric Scholars Program integrates geriatrics into primary care practices through tailored education for professional development. This work is accomplished in collaboration with a national network of geriatric educators with Dr. Josea Kramer as the site PI at UCLA and the Greater LA GRECC. Due to COVID-19 the Barczi Lab adapted its in-person practicum to virtual experiences for learners. The practicum provides scholars with continuing education and professional development on geriatric topics. Inter-professional (e.g., physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, pharmacists, social workers, psychologists) educational experiences encourage innovation and creativity to promote function and independence in older adults. The program serves Veterans through its efforts to improve quality of care and improve access to health care providers who are knowledgeable about geriatric care.
VIRTUAL Geriatrics by GRECC Connect
GRECC Connect by VIRTUAL Geriatrics (Veteran Interprofessional Rural Telehealth Linking Geriatrics Expertise for Education and Access) program is a 16-site project that aims to improve access to geriatric care for Veterans in rural areas. Older Veterans living in rural areas often have limited access to geriatric care and rural providers and staff often lack opportunities to learn about best practices for management of Veterans with geriatrics syndromes. This project links geriatrics specialists from GRECCs (Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Centers) located in urban tertiary medical centers with rural areas through clinical video telehealth, electronic consultation and educational teleconferences. Recent work includes developing a toolkit for new sites to launch, rapid expansion of new VIRTUAL Geriatric Sites and developing a care navigator that allows for more efficient access of services by rural providers and their teams.
Madison Geri-Tec
This initiative is an off-shoot of work started with the Virtual Geriatrics program completed in partnership with colleagues at the Eastern Colorado VA and University of Colorado. Preliminary work suggests that Native American elders and Veterans have reduced access to geriatrics education and consultative services through their tribal health clinics. Furthermore, telemedicine strategies have been under-utilized in addressing these care needs. The foci of this work include:
- Engage with Wisconsin tribes to identify needs of older tribal Veterans
- Seek collaboration with Tribal Health Centers to develop avenues to deliver interdisciplinary geriatric telehealth services
- Improve tribal Veteran access to care by promoting virtual appointments and assisting with telehealth technology usage
- Involve tribal community stakeholders to create collaborative solutions that can be shared nationally
Geriatric Sleep Consultation
As a board-certified geriatric sleep specialist, Barczi developed the sleep medicine clinics at the Madison VA almost 20 years ago and created specific consultation for older adults including older Veterans at WI Sleep Center and the William S. Middleton Memorial VA Hospital. He has completed research on the effects of sleep apnea on cognition and cerebrovascular disease. In the past decade, he has developed a sleep medicine telemedicine consultation service that pre-dated the COVID-19 pandemic but informed the practice of many of his colleagues during the pandemic. He continues to refine approaches for delivering these services to rural older adults and Veterans.
