Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative awarded $3.1M from PCORI

A research team at Michigan Medicine led by Khurshid Ghani, MBChB, MS, FRCS, has been approved for a $3.1 million research funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to study “Stent Omission after Ureteroscopy and Lithotripsy” (SOUL) as part of the Michigan Urological Surgery Improvement Collaborative (MUSIC).

The SOUL MUSIC clinical trial aims to understand whether the most common kidney stone removal surgery in the country is more effective with or without ureteral stents. Urologists often place long, hollow tubes (ureteral stents) for a short period of time after ureteroscopy to help with drainage of urine from the kidney, but they can cause severe pain, blood in the urine and discomfort that can result in time off work, the inability to take part in social activities or even trips to the hospital.

The research team will work with 11 urology practices in Michigan and three academic medical centers outside the state to collect data on 792 patients who undergo kidney stone surgery with ureteroscopy, investigating patient outcomes and health-related quality of life after the procedure as well as factors that influence a surgeon to place a stent or not.

“Up to 80 percent of patients get stented after ureteroscopy today, but we don’t have high-quality evidence to support such extensive use of ureteral stents. I’m grateful to PCORI for the opportunity to re-examine this practice through the lens of the patient,” said Ghani, a professor of urology at the U-M Medical School and the program director of MUSIC. “At MUSIC, we have a deep network of collaborators, a track record of quality improvement and a strong partnership with Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. All of these are critical to support this innovative study that aims to drive more patient-driven informed healthcare decisions.”

MUSIC is a physician-led quality improvement collaborative comprised of 44 practices and 260 urologists across the state of Michigan supported by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The SOUL MUSIC project is an extension of quality improvement initiatives in MUSIC that have been focused on improving the patient experience of ureteroscopy since 2016.

Ghani’s award has been approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract.

PCORI is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions.