“The hope is to support a portfolio of comparative clinical effectiveness research.”
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute announced its plan to award $120 million this year to support comparative clinical effectiveness research that will give patients and those who care for them the ability to make better-informed healthcare decisions. “Today marks a major milestone in our work as we build a portfolio of patient-centered research that will provide patients and those who care for them better information about healthcare decisions they face,” said PCORI executive director Joe Selby. “Our funding announcements reflect PCORI’s commitment to patient-centered research agenda, emphasizing the inclusion of patients and caregivers at all stages of the research.”
The announcement came soon after PCORI finalized its National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda on May 21, which aims to construct a framework to guide the funding of comparative clinical effectiveness research. It opens the door for PCORI, created in 2010 as part of the Affordable Care Act, to begin funding research that can address the needs of patients.
PCORI will award funding to applicants that best meet the non-profit’s newly minted agenda. For one, applicants must have research teams with patients, caregivers, and practicing clinicians actively engaged throughout the research process. In mandating this requirement, PCORI believes it can help ensure that the research stays true to the core interests of the patient population that will be affected by it.
PCORI will align applications with its eight defined review criteria that include evaluations such as impact or burden of the conditions being studied, innovativeness of the research proposal, use of rigorous study design, analytic methods, and others.
The hope is to support a portfolio of comparative clinical effectiveness research. The first research agenda includes five broad areas that together address unmet needs of patients, their caregivers, and other healthcare system stakeholders.
Funding announcements for four of these broad areas have been released while the fifth is due to be issued during the summer months. The first four areas of research, which are eligible for $96 million in funding, are assessment of prevention, diagnosis, and treatment options; improving healthcare systems; communication and dissemination research; and addressing disparities.
The fifth funding announcement on accelerating patient-centered and methodological research is due to receive up to $24 million in funding.
May 25, 2012
http://www.burrillreport.com/article-pcori_aims_to_award_120_million_in_2012.html