Daniel Matlock MD, MPH

Title: Principal Investigator; Associate Professor, CU Division of Geriatrics

Contact: Daniel.Matlock@cuanschutz.edu

University of Colorado webpage

Personal Statement
Dr. Matlock is the Director of the Colorado Program for Patient Centered Decisions at ACCORDS (The Adult and Child Consortium for Outcomes Research and Delivery Science). He is board certified in Internal Medicine, Geriatrics, and Palliative care. His research is aimed at fundamentally changing and improving how patients make decisions around invasive cardiovascular technologies.

Research Interest

Dr. Matlock has been funded under an NIH career development award, three NHLBI RO1s (two Co-I, one PI), and four PCORI projects studying shared decision making among older adults making decisions around invasive technologies. He has participated in the American College of Cardiology’s shared decision making task force and he is also an active participant of the International Patient Decision Aid Standards writing committee. Recently, he has also been named Director of Implementation Research for the Denver Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center.

Grants & Funding

Technical Proposal – Evaluation of the SHARE Approach Model

The goal of this is to evaluate and test the SHARE approach model in rural primary care.

Pragmatic Approaches to Assess and Enhance Value of Cancer Prevention and Control in Rural Primary Care

PI is Russ Glasgow
We are developing methods and studying the role of costs and priorities from the perspective of different stakeholder types; as well as creating and testing various interactive tools and resources to build capacity for D&I science.
Funder: National Cancer Institute
NIH website
Publications of note:
— Developing a dissemination and implementation research agenda for aging and public health: The what, when, how, and why?
— Speeding implementation in cancer: The National Cancer Institute’s Implementation Science Centers in Cancer Control
— Creating research-ready partnerships: the initial development of seven implementation laboratories to advance cancer control
— Lung cancer screening in rural primary care practices in Colorado: time for a more team-based approach?

Decision Making Among Older Adults: the AUTO study

Role: Co-Investigator ; PI is Marian Betz
Deciding when to “hang up the car keys” is one of the most emotional and difficult decisions older adults face, especially in the context of age-associated cognitive impairment, such as Alzheimer’s disease. Yet, it is also one that almost every individual, and their family, must wrestle with. 
A web-based decision aid could help older adults make informed decisions about driving that align with personal values. Understanding which types of older adults benefit most from the decision aid, along with when to use the decision aid, will help optimize real-world use.
Such a decision aid may be necessary for individuals with cognitive impairment, such as that associated with Alzheimer’s disease, particularly in its earliest stages. The condition may complicate driving decisions and increase driving risk and the need for eventual driving cessation.
Funder: National Institute on Aging
NIH website
Publications of note:
— Cars, Guns, Aging, and “Giving Up the Keys”
— The Advancing Understanding of Transportation Options (AUTO) study: design and methods of a multi-center study of decision aid for older drivers

Decision trajectories of patients at the end of life: An epidemiological exploration of MAID and the impact on caregivers and clinicians

A broad population now has access to Medical Aid in Dying (MAiD). Yet, knowledge of the epidemiologic, experiential, and decision-making characteristics of individuals considering and pursuing MAiD needs to be improved and may be critical to informing evidence-based policies and practices. Furthermore, understanding the perspectives of family members/caregivers and clinicians caring for MAiD patients will help inform support after these experiences.
Investigator: Daniel Matlock
Funder: National Institute on Aging
NIH website

A Multicenter Trial of a Shared DECision Support Intervention for Patients offered implantable Cardioverter-DEfibrillators: DECIDE - ICD Trial

Strong scientific evidence supports the idea that shared decision-making is achieved through patient decision aids. However, many attempts at real-world implementation have failed due to a focus on low-risk decisions in primary care where clinicians are either too busy or the stakes are too low for the decision aid to be valuable. 
This team's overall goal is to assess the real-world effectiveness and implementation of patient decision aids for high-risk decisions using the implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) as a model. 
By simultaneously exploring effectiveness and implementation, this project will provide practical information that will inform a growing national agenda to involve patients in their health care via shared decision-making.
Investigator: Daniel Matlock
Funder: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
NIH website
Website: IDECIDE - Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD)
Publications of note:
— Shared Decision Making in Cardiac Electrophysiology Procedures and Arrhythmia Management
— Mandates for Shared Decisions: Means to which Ends?
— Shared Decision Making for Left Ventricular Assist Devices: Rationale and Design of a Nationwide Dissemination and Implementation Project

Hospitals Use Shared Decision Making with Patients Considering LVAD Treatment

Heart failure occurs when the heart doesn’t pump blood as it should. In advanced heart failure, people feel shortness of breath and other symptoms even at rest. An LVAD is a battery-powered pump that doctors implant in the heart to help people with advanced heart failure live longer. But LVADs have serious risks, such as stroke, bleeding, and infection. In addition, people who get LVADs need help from a caregiver and must change their lifestyle. Patients must understand these trade-offs to make the best decisions for themselves.
This PCORI-funded implementation project is expanding the use of a shared decision-making program, shown to help patients with advanced heart failure decide whether to get a left ventricular assist device or LVAD, to LVAD clinics across the United States.
Investigator: Daniel Matlock
Funder: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)
PCORI Website

Making Decisions and Advance Care Planning: Hospice Care

Pilot Evaluation of Hospice Decision Support Tools

Hospice is misunderstood and underutilized. No quality decision aids for patients and families considering hospice are currently available. This research project addresses this critical gap in quality patient-centered care for people facing end-of-life decisions by testing the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a novel hospice patient decision aid developed by the study team.
Investigator: Daniel Matlock
Funder: National Institute on Aging
NIH website
Website: Hospice - A decision aid for patients considering Hospice care
Publications of note:
— How Do Patients Describe Hospice Care? A Qualitative Analysis of the Language Used by Older Adults to Describe Hospice Care
— Development of a Decision Aid for Patients and Families Considering Hospice

Recent Publications

2024

Scherer LD, Matlock DD. Communicating Personalized Benefits of Conservative versus Invasive Treatment of Chronic Coronary Disease: Reflections From the Risk Communication Literature. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2024 Sep 20:e011463. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.124.011463. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39301723.

Abbate LM, Jordan SR, Ho PM, Matlock DD, Allen KD, Wherry S, Wellington T, Buxo ZJ, Richardson V, McGuire C, Pearson M, Hall KS, Nearing KA. Older Veterans' perspectives on participation in a clinical exercise program: A qualitative study of the VA Gerofit exercise program. SAGE Open Med. 2024 Aug 27;12:20503121241271759. doi: 10.1177/20503121241271759. PMID: 39206229; PMCID: PMC11350545.

Mehta AB, Lockhart S, Lange AV, Matlock DD, Douglas IS, Morris MA. Identifying Decisional Needs for Adult Tracheostomy and Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation Decision Making to Inform Shared Decision-Making Interventions. Med Decis Making. 2024 Jul 31:272989X241266246. doi: 10.1177/0272989X241266246. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39082480.

Vemuru S, Helmkamp L, Adams M, Colborn K, Parris H, Huynh V, Higgins M, Christian N, Ahrendt G, Baurle E, Lee C, Kim S, Matlock D, Cumbler E, Tevis S. Longitudinal Trends in Patient-Reported Outcomes in the First Year After Lumpectomy Versus Mastectomy. Ann Surg Oncol. 2024 Jul 18. doi: 10.1245/s10434-024-15795-8. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39026138.

Lipsey J, Allen LA, Page RL, Helmkamp LJ, Venechuk G, Trinkley KE, Matlock DD, McIlvennan CK. Association of multimorbidity with guideline-directed medical therapy intensification in heart failure: Findings from the EPIC-HF trial. Heliyon. 2024 Jul 5;10(13):e34178. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e34178. PMCID: PMC11279720.
PMID: 39071594.

Matlock DD, Jackson LR 2nd, Sandhu A, Scherer LD. Past, Present, and Future of Shared Decision-Making. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2024 Jul;17(7):e010584. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.124.010584. Epub 2024 Jul 16. PMID: 39012932.

Betz ME, Fowler NR, Meza K, Bletz A, Omeragic F, Matlock DD. "You just have to be careful how you do it": A qualitative study of the Healthwise decision aid for older drivers. Traffic Inj Prev. 2024 Jun 11:1-7. doi: 10.1080/15389588.2024.2351203. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 38860882.

Jeon JH, Adams M, Higgins MG, Vemuru SR, Ludwigson AM, Huynh V, Baurle E, Rojas K, Matlock DD, Lee C, Kim S, Tevis S. Breast Cancer Surgery: A Qualitative Exploration of Concerns Over Time. J Surg Res. 2024 Jun 2;300:272-278. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2024.05.019. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 38830302.

Bechthold AC, McIlvennan CK, Matlock DD, Ejem DB, Wells RD, LeJeune J, Bakitas MA, Odom JN. "Things That You Thought Mattered, None of That Matters": A Qualitative Exploration of Family Caregiver Values following Left Ventricular Assist Device Implantation. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2024 May 23. doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000001105. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 38786984.

Bechthold AC, McIlvennan CK, Matlock DD, Ejem DB, Wells RD, LeJeune J, Bakitas MA, Odom JN. "When I do have some time, rather than spend it polishing silver, I want to spend it with my grandkids": a qualitative exploration of patient values following left ventricular assist device implantation. BMC Palliat Care. 2024 May 22;23(1):128. doi: 10.1186/s12904-024-01454-y. PMCID: PMC11110360. 
PMID: 38778297.

Breathett K, Lewsey S, Brownell NK, Enright K, Evangelista LS, Ibrahim NE, Iturrizaga J, Matlock DD, Ogunniyi MO, Sterling MR, Van Spall HGC; American Heart Association Heart Failure and Transplantation Committee of the Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; and Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research. Implementation Science to Achieve Equity in Heart Failure Care: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2024 Apr 3. doi: 10.1161/CIR.0000000000001231. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 38567497.

Shelton SK, Rice JD, Knoepke CE, Matlock DD, Havranek EP, Daugherty SL, Perman SM. Examining the Impact of Layperson Rescuer Gender on the Receipt of Bystander CPR for Women in Cardiac Arrest. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2024 Mar 27:e010249. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.123.010249. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 38533649.

2023

Montembeau SC, Rao BR, Mitchell AR, Speight CD, Allen LA, Halpern SD, Ko YA, Matlock DD, Moore MA, Morris AA, Scherer LD, Ubel P, Dickert NW. Integrating Cost into Shared Decision-Making for Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction (POCKET-COST-HF): A Trial Providing Out-of-pocket Costs for Heart Failure Medications during Clinical Encounters. Am Heart J. 2023 Dec 12:S0002-8703(23)00322-8. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2023.11.013. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 38096946.

Pfahl J, Thompson JS, Matlock DD, Allen LA, Dionne-Odom JN, Bakitas MA, McIlvennan CK. ENABLE-LVAD: Development and Implementation of a Novel Training Program for Clinicians Supporting Family Caregivers of Patients With a Left Ventricular Assist Device. J Cardiovasc Nurs. 2023 Nov 17. doi: 10.1097/JCN.0000000000001065. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 37974325.

Lam K, Cenzer I, Levy CR, Matlock DD, Smith AK, Covinsky KE. The Natural History of Disability and Caregiving Before and After Long-Term Care Entry. JAMA Intern Med. 2023 Nov 6:e235427. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.5427. Epub ahead of print. PMCID: PMC10628843. 
PMID: 37930717.

Kim JM, Maqsood MH, Makuvire T, McIlvennan CK, Thompson JS, Matlock DD, Allen LA, Warraich HJ. Gender-based differences in decision making, quality of life and survival among patients undergoing left ventricular assist device evaluation. PLoS One. 2023 Oct 25;18(10):e0293121. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0293121. PMCID: PMC10599524. 
PMID: 37878597.

Trinkley KE, Wright G, Allen LA, Bennett TD, Glasgow RE, Hale G, Heckman S, Huebschmann AG, Kahn MG, Kao DP, Lin CT, Malone DC, Matlock DD, Wells L, Wysocki V, Zhang S, Suresh K. Sustained Effect of Clinical Decision Support for Heart Failure: A Natural Experiment Using Implementation Science. Appl Clin Inform. 2023 Oct;14(5):822-832. doi: 10.1055/s-0043-1775566. Epub 2023 Oct 18. PMCID: PMC10584394. 
PMID: 37852249.

Mott NM, Huynh V, Vemuru S, Parris HJ, Colborn K, Ahrendt G, Christian N, Kim S, Matlock DD, Cumbler E, Tevis SEA. Barriers and facilitators to measuring patient reported outcomes in an academic breast cancer clinic: An application of the RE-AIM framework. Am J Surg. 2023 Sep 15:S0002-9610(23)00474-9. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2023.09.022. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 37741803.

Allen LA, Lowe EF, Matlock DD. The Economic Burden of Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction: Living Longer but Poorer? Cardiol Clin. 2023 Nov;41(4):501-510. doi: 10.1016/j.ccl.2023.06.003. Epub 2023 Jul 24. 
PMID: 37743073.

Fuchita M, Blaine C, Keyworth A, Morfin K, Primi B, Ridgeway K, Stake N, Watson H, Matlock D, Mehta AB. Perspectives on Sedation Among Interdisciplinary Team Members in ICU: A Survey Study. Crit Care Explor. 2023 Sep 1;5(9):e0972. doi: 10.1097/CCE.0000000000000972. PMCID: PMC10476798. 
PMID: 37670739.

Mehta AB, Matlock DD, Shorr AF, Douglas IS. Healthcare Trajectories and Outcomes in the First Year After Tracheostomy Based on Patient Characteristics. Crit Care Med. 2023 Aug 28. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000006029. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 37638787.

Buchanan CL, Morris MA, Matlock D, Kempe A, Vemulakonda VM. Parental experience and understanding of parent-provider discussions of treatment for infants with ureteropelvic junction obstruction. PEC Innov. 2023 Feb 21;2:100142. doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2023.100142. PMCID: PMC10426279. 
PMID: 37588298.

Montembeau SC, Merchant FM, Speight C, Kramer DB, Matlock DD, Horný M, Dickert NW, Rao BR. Patients' Perspectives Regarding Generator Exchanges of Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2023 Aug;16(8):509-518. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.122.009827. Epub 2023 Jul 26. 
PMID: 37492959.

Tate CE, Mami G, McNulty M, Rinehart DJ, Yasui R, Rondinelli N, Treem J, Fairclough D, Matlock DD. Evaluation of a Novel Hospice-Specific Patient Decision Aid. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2023 Jul 21:10499091231190776. doi: 10.1177/10499091231190776. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 37477279.

Fenton L, Han SD, DiGuiseppi CG, Fowler NR, Hill L, Johnson RL, Peterson RA, Knoepke CE, Matlock DD, Moran R, Karlawish J, Betz ME. Mild Cognitive Impairment Is Associated with Poorer Everyday Decision Making. J Alzheimers Dis. 2023 Jul 12. doi: 10.3233/JAD-230222. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 37458034.

Trinkley KE, Dafoe A, Malone DC, Allen LA, Huebschmann A, Khazanie P, Lunowa C, Matlock DC, Suresh K, Rosenberg MA, Swat SA, Sosa A, Morris MA. Clinician challenges to evidence-based prescribing for heart failure and reduced ejection fraction: A qualitative evaluation. J Eval Clin Pract. 2023 Jun 19. doi: 10.1111/jep.13885. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 37335624.

Svet M, Portalupi LB, Pyszczynski T, Matlock DD, Allen LA. Applying terror management theory to patients with life-threatening illness: a systematic review. BMC Palliat Care. 2023 Jun 17;22(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s12904-023-01193-6. PMCID: PMC10276497. 
PMID: 37330502.

Golden SE, Disher N, Dieckmann NF, Eden KB, Matlock D, Vranas KC, Slatore CG, Sullivan DR. Show me the roads and give me a road map: Development of a patient conversation tool to improve lung cancer treatment decision-making. PEC Innov. 2022 Oct 21;1:100094. doi: 10.1016/j.pecinn.2022.100094. PMCID: PMC10194168. 
PMID: 37213736.

Bechthold AC, Knoepke CE, Ejem DB, McIlvennan CK, Wells RD, Matlock DD, Bakitas MA, Dionne-Odom JN. How Values Are Discussed, Reflected Upon, and Acted On by Patients and Family Caregivers in the Context of Heart Failure: A Scoping Review. Med Decis Making. 2023 Apr 14:272989X231165958. doi: 10.1177/0272989X231165958. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 37057380.

Thomas KL, Al-Khatib SM, Kosinski AS, Sears SF Jr, LaPointe NMA, Jackson LR 2nd, Matlock DD, Haithcock D, Colley BJ 3rd, Hirsh DS, Peterson ED. Facilitating Shared Decision Making Among Black Patients at Risk for Sudden Cardiac Arrest : A Randomized Clinical Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2023 Apr 4. doi: 10.7326/M22-2934. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 37011387.

Huber K, Cassidy J, Brungardt A, Resman K, Plys E, Bogdewiecz T, Matlock DD, Lum HD. Time for More Support? Stakeholder Engagement for a Long-Term Care Planning Dementia Decision Aid Prototype. Gerontol Geriatr Med. 2023 Mar 29;9:23337214231163033. doi: 10.1177/23337214231163033. PMCID: PMC10064152. 
PMID: 37006886.

Parmet T, Yusufov M, Braun IM, Pirl WF, Matlock DD, Sannes TS. Willingness toward psychosocial support during cancer treatment: a critical yet challenging construct in psychosocial care. Transl Behav Med. 2023 Mar 20:ibac121. doi: 10.1093/tbm/ibac121. Epub ahead of print. 
PMID: 36940406.

Vemuru S, Smith S, Colborn K, Huynh V, Leonard L, Bonnell L, Scherer L, Matlock D, Lee C, Kim S, Tevis S. Access to Results of Patient Reported Outcome Surveys Does Not Improve Survey Response Rates. J Surg Res. 2023 Mar;283:945-952. doi: 10.1016/j.jss.2022.10.080. Epub 2022 Dec 8. 
PMID: 36915023.

McCarthy V, Portz J, Fischer SM, Greenway E, Johnson RL, Knoepke CE, Matlock DD, Omeragic F, Peterson RA, Ranney ML, Betz ME. A Web-Based Decision Aid for Caregivers of Persons With Dementia With Firearm Access (Safe at Home Study): Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial. JMIR Res Protoc. 2023 Jan 31;12:e43702. doi: 10.2196/43702. 
PMID: 36719721.