PCORI seeks to fund large high-quality studies that respond to the following priority question:

What is the comparative effectiveness of psychosocial interventions versus standard medical management for patients who receive office-based opioid treatment with buprenorphine?

PCORI is especially interested in stepped-care and needs-based approaches rather than straightforward comparisons of interventions. All comparators should be clearly defined, evidence-based or in clinical use, and be, or be able to be made, widely available. While randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are preferred, well-designed comparative observational studies and natural experiments of established programs may also be proposed.

Applicants should justify their patient populations of interest (e.g., urban, rural, low-income, and/or racial and ethnic minorities). PCORI is particularly interested in applications that focus on or include urban, low-income, and/or racial-ethnic minority populations. Proposals should have strong endorsement and study participation by patient organizations, professional organizations, payer or purchaser organizations, and other relevant stakeholder groups.