The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) www.pcori.org approved $3.8 million for the UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care www.upmchealthplan.com to study patients with complex care needs. The award will be finalized after the completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and at that time, the formal award contract will be issued.
The PCORI funding will enable researchers to study the effectiveness of two approaches to use to deploy an evidence-based integrated care model that would support vulnerable patients. The model was developed by UPMC Health Plan www.upmchealthplan and Community Care Behavioral Health www.ccbh.com for Medicaid and dual-eligible beneficiaries with multiple chronic conditions who often have multiple health-related and psychosocial needs.
A collaborative research team from UPMC Health Plan, Community Care Behavioral Health, and UPMC Provider Services will participate in the study along with patients that are representative of Medicaid and dual-eligible populations.
One research approach uses nurses and social workers employed by UPMC Health Plan to provide intensive in-person support services for patients in their homes and communities. The other approach primarily uses telehealth remote monitoring and other web-based health tools available through UPMC Health Plan.
Over the next four years, researchers will study the impact of these high-touch and high-tech deployment techniques on outcomes such as hospital readmissions, patient activation, and health status.