PCORI Approves Up to $195 Million

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s (PCORI) https://www,pcori.org, an independent nonprofit nongovernmental organization primarily focused on CER, has approved up to $195 million for upcoming funding opportunities plus $16 million for research to compare the most effective ways to treat a range of health conditions that impose high burdens on patients, families, and the healthcare system.

The Board has committed up to $150 million for a new funding opportunity to support large comparative effectiveness research studies that will examine patient-centered outcomes and stakeholder-driven questions in real world clinical settings.

PCORI is going to invite proposals for studies that will address critically important research questions of large scale and scope through the new two part award program. This program anticipates that the size and complexity of the research projects will require an initial period of funding support for study refinement, stakeholder engagement, feasibility testing, and infrastructure establishment. If initial activities meet rigorous milestones and criteria, a full scale randomized trial can then proceed under a second phase of funding without interruption

The Board has authorized two additional upcoming funding opportunities. One funding opportunity for up to $25 million will be made available to support research on the treatment of rare diseases using the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network (PCORnet®).

The other funding opportunity will provide up to $20 million to fund studies comparing older and newer medications as second-line treatments for type 2 diabetes among people with moderate cardiovascular risk.

The Board also approved $4.2 million for a Weill Cornell Medicine project to test strategies on how to improve follow-up care for people with heart failure after being discharged from the hospital. The study will compare telemedicine to provide follow-up care at home to phone calls to assess patients’ health and connect them to social services as needed.

Another $4.2 million was approved for a Weill Cornell Medicine project that will examine whether an alternative method of prostate biopsy could lead to fewer post procedure infections, comparable pain and better cancer detection than the current more common biopsy procedures.

Other new approved projects include $4.2 million for a Rutgers University project to compare three different programs to improve access to care for woman with perinatal depression by providing training for obstetric providers, real time psychiatric consultations, or provide resources and referrals to mental health providers.

The Public Health Foundation Enterprise was approved for a study to compare two mobile health strategies such as two-way text messaging with a navigator or an interactive mobile app. Researchers would use the information to determine which is more effective at improving adherence to a pre-exposure HIV medication for vulnerable populations experiencing health disparities.

Additionally, the Board approved $3.5 million for three projects for PCORI’s “Dissemination and Implementation Portfolio”. A University of Rochester project will integrate an outpatient, team-based palliative care program into standard practice for managing Parkinson’s disease across a network of medical centers.

A Massachusetts General Hospital project will incorporate decision aids into routine orthopedic practice to help patients with hip and knee osteoarthritis and low back pain make an informed decision on their treatment options.

Lastly, the University of Colorado, Denver Project, will expand delivery of a tested in-school intervention shown to improve executive functioning for children with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder symptoms.

Go to http://www.pcori.org/research-results for details on the projects approved by the board. They were approved pending review by the PCORI staff and the issuance of formal award contracts.