PCORI Board Approves $54.8 Million in Funding for Patient-Centered Comparative Effectiveness Research Projects

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors today approved $54.8 million in funding to support 33 new patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) projects that will study health conditions and concerns that affect millions of Americans.

The approved proposals include studies of ways to improve outcomes for people experiencing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic pain, mental health conditions, nervous system disorders, kidney disease, multiple chronic conditions, and cancer.

The studies also will compare different approaches to delivering care, improving patients' access to care, and strengthening methods to conduct more rigorous patient-centered CER. In addition, several of the projects focus on the needs of particular populations, including older adults, racial and ethnic minorities, children, and low-income individuals.

The approved studies are based at institutions and organizations in 18 states. They were selected from 325 applications that responded fully to PCORI's application criteria. They were assessed through a competitive review process in which patients, caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders joined clinical scientists in evaluating proposals on the basis of scientific merit, how well they engage patients and other stakeholders, and their methodological rigor, among other criteria.

All the awards were approved pending completion of a business programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract.

With this latest round of awards, PCORI has approved nearly $549 million in support of a total of 313 research projects and initiatives since it began funding research in 2012. PCORI expects to award roughly $1 billion in research support over the two-year period from 2014 through 2015.

"We're pleased to announce this new round of studies that complement and enhance our growing portfolio of patient-centered research projects designed to help patients and those who care for them make better-informed health and healthcare decisions," said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH.

"These projects reflect the best of the innovative ideas brought to us by investigators guided by input from patients, family caregivers, clinicians, and other healthcare stakeholders," Selby continued. "As we refine our funding announcements, with an increasing focus on specific priority topics and larger pragmatic studies, we continue to benefit from and seek insightful proposals initiated by researchers and their stakeholder partners."

The approved research projects resulted from PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs) issued in September 2013 under PCORI's five broad National Priorities for Research. The PFAs sought proposals for research that will provide patients and those who care for them with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health and healthcare decisions.

Details about the newly approved studies are available at www.pcori.org/pfaawards.

About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (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. PCORI is committed to continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. More information is available at www.pcori.org.

SOURCE Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)