Grant for Improving Venous Thromboembolism Diagnosis and Treatment (US)

On Aug 18, 2026

The Quality Improvement Grant supports U.S.-based organizations implementing quality improvement projects to improve the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and management of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in primary care and family medicine settings. Offered by the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) in collaboration with the Pfizer/Bristol-Myers Squibb Alliance, the grant provides up to $250,000 per project for up to 24 months.

What Is the Quality Improvement Grant?

The Quality Improvement Grant is designed to help healthcare organizations strengthen the prevention, recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and ongoing management of venous thromboembolism (VTE).

VTE is a serious condition involving blood clots in the veins. It includes conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE).

The funding opportunity focuses specifically on improving VTE care within primary care and family medicine settings in the United States.

The programme seeks projects that can translate clinical education and evidence-based guidelines into measurable improvements in everyday healthcare practice.

What Does the Grant Aim to Improve?

The initiative addresses continuing gaps in:

Clinician awareness of VTE.
Recognition of VTE risk factors and symptoms.
Appropriate diagnosis.
Evidence-based treatment.
VTE prevention.
Treatment adherence and persistence.
Patient understanding of VTE.
Implementation of clinical guidelines.
Coordination among healthcare professionals.
Systems for monitoring and improving patient outcomes.

Successful projects should go beyond providing education alone.

They should demonstrate how education, workflow improvements, technology, multidisciplinary collaboration, or other interventions can produce measurable changes in clinical practice and patient care.

What Is Venous Thromboembolism?

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) refers to blood clots that form in the venous system.

The two major forms of VTE are:

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT): A blood clot that develops in a deep vein, commonly in the leg.
Pulmonary embolism (PE): A potentially life-threatening condition that occurs when a blood clot travels to the lungs.

Because VTE can result in serious complications, timely recognition, appropriate diagnosis, and evidence-based treatment are important components of quality primary care.

What Types of Projects Are Encouraged?

The grant encourages projects that produce practical improvements in VTE care.

Potential approaches may include:

Improving clinical workflows.
Implementing evidence-based VTE guidelines.
Developing clinical decision-support processes.
Improving clinician recognition and diagnosis.
Strengthening treatment and follow-up procedures.
Improving patient education.
Supporting medication adherence and persistence.
Establishing multidisciplinary care approaches.
Improving referral and communication systems.
Using data to monitor clinical performance.
Creating sustainable quality improvement systems.
Reducing preventable VTE-related hospitalizations.
Improving patient outcomes.

Projects should establish specific, measurable quality improvement objectives rather than relying only on general educational activities.

Why Does This Grant Matter?

VTE can result in serious illness and preventable complications when risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, or treatment are not appropriately addressed.

Primary care providers can play an important role in:

Identifying patients at risk.
Recognizing potential VTE symptoms.
Applying appropriate diagnostic pathways.
Supporting evidence-based treatment.
Monitoring patients.
Educating patients about risk and prevention.
Encouraging treatment adherence.
Coordinating care across healthcare settings.

The grant therefore seeks to strengthen primary care systems so that evidence-based VTE care becomes more consistent and sustainable.

Funding Available

Organizations can request up to $250,000 USD per project.

Key funding details include:

Maximum award: $250,000
Maximum project duration: 24 months
Overhead: Institutional overhead is capped at 28%.
Eligible costs: Awards include both direct project costs and permitted institutional overhead.

Applicants should ensure that the requested budget is directly connected to the proposed quality improvement activities and measurable outcomes.

Who Is Eligible?

The opportunity is open to organizations based in the United States.

Eligible applicant types may include:

Family medicine practices within healthcare institutions.
Academic medicine organizations.
Community health organizations.
Large healthcare groups.
Multi-specialty medical groups.
Other qualifying U.S.-based healthcare organizations.

The organization must be capable of receiving funding directly from Pfizer Inc.

Who Is Not Eligible?

Individuals cannot apply independently for this funding opportunity.

The following are generally not eligible to receive the grant:

Individual healthcare professionals applying personally.
Unaffiliated individual practitioners.
Unaffiliated medical practice groups that cannot receive funding directly through the required organizational arrangement.

The project lead must be an employee or contractor of the requesting organization.

What Should the Project Lead Do?

The project lead should be directly connected to the applicant organization.

The lead is expected to help develop and oversee the proposed quality improvement initiative and ensure that the project is implemented according to the approved plan.

Applicants should therefore identify a project lead with appropriate clinical, quality improvement, administrative, or subject-matter expertise.

What Makes a Strong Proposal?

A strong proposal should clearly explain the existing VTE care gap and how the proposed intervention will address it.

Applications should demonstrate:

A clearly defined clinical or quality improvement problem.
Evidence that the problem exists within the target population or healthcare setting.
Use of evidence-based approaches.
Clear and measurable improvement objectives.
Appropriate quality improvement methodology.
System-level or workflow improvements.
Multidisciplinary collaboration where appropriate.
Patient engagement and education.
Specific outcome and process measures.
A realistic implementation timeline.
A credible evaluation strategy.
Potential for long-term sustainability.

Projects should also explain how improvements will continue after the grant period ends.

Importance of Measurable Outcomes

Applicants are expected to establish clear target metrics.

Possible measures could assess:

Recognition of VTE.
Appropriate diagnostic practices.
Guideline adherence.
Treatment initiation.
Treatment persistence.
Patient knowledge.
Follow-up care.
Hospitalization rates.
Clinical outcomes.
Provider performance.
Implementation of system-level changes.

The specific metrics should be appropriate to the project’s objectives and aligned with relevant clinical guidelines.

Role of Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Priority is given to projects that use system-based approaches and multidisciplinary collaboration.

Depending on the project, collaboration may involve:

Family physicians.
Primary care clinicians.
Nurses.
Pharmacists.
Specialists.
Quality improvement professionals.
Healthcare administrators.
Patient educators.
Data and informatics teams.

A multidisciplinary approach can help ensure that improvements are integrated into routine clinical workflows rather than remaining isolated educational activities.

How to Develop a Project Proposal

Organizations considering an application can structure their project development around the following steps.

Step 1: Identify the VTE Care Gap

Clearly identify a problem affecting VTE prevention, recognition, diagnosis, treatment, management, or patient adherence.

Explain why the problem is important within the organization’s primary care setting.

Step 2: Define the Target Population

Identify the patients, clinicians, practices, or healthcare systems that will benefit from the intervention.

The target population should be clearly connected to the identified quality gap.

Step 3: Design the Quality Improvement Intervention

Describe the specific intervention that will address the problem.

Possible components include workflow redesign, clinical decision support, provider education, patient education, data monitoring, or multidisciplinary care.

Step 4: Establish Measurable Objectives

Define specific outcomes that can be measured during the project.

Objectives should allow the organization to determine whether the intervention actually improved VTE care.

Step 5: Develop an Evaluation Strategy

Explain how baseline performance will be assessed and how changes will be measured throughout the project.

The evaluation plan should correspond directly to the project’s objectives and metrics.

Step 6: Build a Sustainability Plan

Explain how successful interventions can become part of normal clinical practice after grant funding ends.

Sustainability may involve:

Standardized workflows.
Updated clinical protocols.
Staff training.
Electronic health record tools.
Performance monitoring.
Institutional policies.
Continued quality improvement activities.

Step 7: Prepare the Budget

Develop a detailed budget covering eligible direct costs and permitted institutional overhead.

The requested amount must not exceed $250,000, and institutional overhead must remain within the 28% cap.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Applicants should avoid submitting proposals that are primarily educational without demonstrating measurable quality improvement.

Common weaknesses include:

Focusing only on clinician education.
Failing to identify a specific VTE care gap.
Using vague or unmeasurable objectives.
Not establishing baseline performance.
Providing insufficient information about the target population.
Failing to explain how clinical practice will change.
Omitting patient engagement.
Lacking a meaningful evaluation plan.
Ignoring sustainability after the funding period.
Proposing activities unrelated to primary care VTE improvement.
Submitting through an individual rather than an eligible organization.
Exceeding the institutional overhead limit.

Key Facts at a Glance

Grant: Quality Improvement Grant
Focus: Venous thromboembolism (VTE)
Primary setting: Primary care and family medicine
Geographic eligibility: United States
Maximum funding: $250,000 per project
Maximum duration: 24 months
Institutional overhead cap: 28%
Applicant type: Eligible U.S.-based organizations
Individuals: Not eligible to receive grants directly
Project lead: Must be an employee or contractor of the applicant organization
Priority: System-based, evidence-based, measurable quality improvement
Key outcomes: Better VTE recognition, diagnosis, treatment, management, adherence, and patient outcomes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the purpose of the Quality Improvement Grant?

The grant supports U.S.-based organizations seeking to improve the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and management of venous thromboembolism in primary care and family medicine settings.

How much funding can an organization request?

An organization can request up to $250,000 USD per project. The maximum project period is 24 months.

Who can apply for the VTE Quality Improvement Grant?

Eligible applicants are U.S.-based organizations, including family medicine practices within healthcare institutions, academic medicine organizations, community health organizations, and large or multi-specialty healthcare groups.

Can an individual physician apply?

No. Individuals are not eligible to receive the grant directly. The application must come from an eligible organization, and the project lead must be an employee or contractor of that organization.

What types of VTE projects are encouraged?

Projects should improve clinical practice through evidence-based quality improvement. Examples include improving diagnosis, implementing VTE guidelines, strengthening treatment and follow-up, improving patient education and adherence, and introducing system-based or multidisciplinary interventions.

Are measurable outcomes required?

Yes. Applicants are expected to establish clear and measurable target metrics that demonstrate whether the project improves VTE care and patient outcomes.

Is institutional overhead allowed?

Yes. Award amounts may include institutional overhead, but overhead is capped at 28%. Applicants should ensure their budgets comply with this limit.

Conclusion

The Quality Improvement Grant provides U.S.-based healthcare organizations with an opportunity to strengthen VTE care through practical, evidence-based quality improvement initiatives. With funding of up to $250,000 for projects lasting up to 24 months, the programme is particularly suited to organizations that can identify measurable gaps in VTE care and implement sustainable system-level improvements.

A strong application should connect a clearly defined VTE care problem with a practical intervention, measurable outcomes, multidisciplinary collaboration, patient engagement, and a credible plan for sustaining improvements beyond the grant period.

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