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PCORI

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

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    About Us

    • Our Programs
    • Governance
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    Subscribe to PCORI Email Alerts

    Sign up for weekly emails to stay current on the latest results of our funded projects, and more.

    Learn More About PCORI

    Download fact sheets about our work, the research we fund, and our programs and initiatives.

    Join Us! Work at PCORI

    View our current openings, benefits and apply online. Featured Opening: Program Officer

  • Research & Results
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    Research & Results

    • Explore Our Portfolio
    • Research Results Highlights
    • PCORI in the Literature
    • Putting Evidence to Work
    • Peer Review
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    • About Our Research

    Highlights of PCORI-Funded Research Results

    Read about results that are being published in leading medical journals and presented at major scientific meetings.

    CE/CME Activities: Treatment Options After a Stroke

    Find out how to apply research findings to help patients with atrial fibrillation make informed decisions about treatments following an ischemic stroke.

    Explore Our Portfolio of Funded Projects

    Find out about projects based on the health conditions they focus on, the state they are in, and if they have results.

  • Topics
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    Topics

    • Addressing Disparities
    • Cancer
    • Cardiovascular Disease
    • Community Health Workers
    • Dementia and Cognitive Impairment
    • Diabetes
    • Kidney Disease
    • Mental and Behavioral Health
    • Multiple Chronic Conditions
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Obesity
    • Older Adults' Health
    • Pain Care and Opioids
    • Rare Diseases
    • Shared Decision Making
    • Telehealth
    • Transitional Care

    Featured Topic: Multiple Chronic Conditions

    A PCORI-funded study shows that a family-centered communication program in pediatric departments directly improves hospital safety.

  • Engagement
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    Engagement

    • The Value of Engagement
    • Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer
    • Influencing the Culture of Research
    • Engagement Awards
    • Engagement Resources
    • Engage with Us

    Older Adults Advise Researchers

    An Engagement Award brings together researchers and older adults living at home and in skilled nursing facilities to improve older adults' care.

    Explore Engagement in Health Literature

    PCORI has developed a new tool that enables searching for published articles about engagement in health research.

    Using the PCORI Engagement Rubric

    It provides general guidance and suggestions for engagement compliance and engagement strategies in the research process.

  • Funding Opportunities
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    Funding Opportunities

    • What & Who We Fund
    • What You Need to Know to Apply
    • Applicant Training
    • Merit Review Process
    • Awardee Resources
    • Help Center

    PCORI Funding Announcements

    Learn about open and upcoming funding announcements and how to apply.

    Tips for Submitting a Responsive LOI

    Find out what PCORI looks for in a letter of intent (LOI) along with other helpful tips.

    Do You Have Questions?

    PCORI's Help Center includes an FAQ section for answers to applicant, awardee and reviewer questions.

  • Meetings & Events
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    Meetings & Events

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    • Past Events

    Watch Our Facebook Live Discussion

    We discussed how telehealth might help improve the outcomes for patients living with serious mental illness.

    Hear from PCORI Staff

    Invite a PCORI staffer to talk about our work and see a schedule of our staffers' speaking engagements.

    From Evidence to Impact: Putting What Works into Action

    Watch archived recordings of our 2018 Annual Meeting's keynotes, plenaries and breakout sessions.

Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis - Cycle 3 2016

Letters of Intent for this PCORI funding announcement were due Tuesday, November 1, 2016.
Those selected to submit a full application were notified by Friday, December 2, 2016.
Full applications were due Tuesday, February 7, 2017, by 5:00 p.m. (ET)

Reopened PCORI Funding Announcement

Research Initiative Highlights

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) seeks to fund randomized clinical trials (RCTs) or large observational studies that compare two or more alternative clinical strategies for treatment of MS that address the following questions:

  1. What are the comparative benefits and harms of different disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) or therapeutic strategies in patients with relapsing, remitting multiple sclerosis on symptoms, functioning, quality of life, disease activity, and disease progression? Strategies may include comparisons of initial DMT treatment or comparisons of follow-on treatments in patients for whom initial DMT treatment has failed, including strategies for sequencing or combining agents, changing to a different DMT, or escalating DMT dose.
  2. What are the comparative benefits and harms of different approaches, other than DMTs, for ameliorating important symptoms in people with MS? Symptoms of interest include fatigue, difficulty walking, memory or attention problems (cognition), bladder problems, numbness or tingling, and pain. Studies of patients with progressive forms of MS are of particular interest.
  3. What is the comparative effectiveness of telerehabilitation vs. conventional direct care interventions for improving outcomes in people with MS, such as functional status, fatigue, and quality of life?

Background

PCORI’s mission is to improve the quality and relevance of evidence available to help patients, caregivers, clinicians, employers, insurers, and policy makers make informed health decisions. Specifically, we fund CER and work that will improve the methods used to conduct such studies. 

PCORI relies on input from multiple stakeholders to set its research priorities. Members of its advisory panels include patients, clinicians, researchers, purchasers, payers, industry, and other healthcare stakeholders. Stakeholders identified the treatment of MS as an important topic based on the lack of evidence available to help patients and other stakeholders choose among care strategies. PCORI’s Advisory Panel on Assessment of Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options ranked treatment of MS as high-priority. PCORI convened a large multi-stakeholder workshop, to provide further input on whether specific CER questions could be addressed by PCORI-funded research – see http://www.pcori.org/events/2015/prioritizing-comparative-effectiveness-research-questions-treatment-multiple-sclerosis. Through further stakeholder engagement and discussions with PCORI’s Science Oversight Committee, three high priority areas were proposed, and PCORI funded four projects in its funding Cycle 3 2015.

The reissue of this targeted funding announcement reflects the significant policy importance and the crucial need for evidence regarding the comparative effectiveness of different treatment strategies for patients with multiple sclerosis.

Key Information
Status 
Closed
Cycle 
Cycle 3 2016
Full Announcement 
PDF icon Multiple Sclerosis PFA (Cycle 3 2016)
Online System Opens 
October 4, 2016
Letter of Intent (LOI) Deadline
November 1, 2016
Application Deadline
February 7, 2017
Merit Review 
April 2017
Awards Announced 

September 12, 2017; 12:00 p.m. (ET)

Applicant Town Hall Session 

October 11, 2016: 11:00 a.m. (ET)

Earliest Start Date 
November 2017
Total Direct Costs 
Question 1 - $10 million; Question 2 - $3 million; Question 3 - $5 million
Funds Available Up To 
$30 million
Maximum Project Period 
Question 1 – 5 years; Question 2 – 3 years; Question 3 – 4 years
Announcement Type 
Research Award

Applicant Resources

  • Multiple Sclerosis PFA (Cycle 3 2016)
  • Targeted Application Guidelines (Cycle 3 2016)

Funding Opportunities

  • What & Who We Fund
  • What You Need to Know to Apply
  • Applicant Training
  • Merit Review Process
  • Awardee Resources
  • Help Center

About Us

  • Our Programs
  • Governance
  • Financials and Reports
  • Procurement Opportunities
  • Our Staff
  • Contact Us

Research & Results

  • Explore Our Portfolio
  • Research Results Highlights
  • PCORI in the Literature
  • Putting Evidence to Work
  • Peer Review
  • Evidence Synthesis
  • About Our Research

Engagement

  • The Value of Engagement
  • Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer
  • Influencing the Culture of Research
  • Engagement Awards
  • Engagement Resources
  • Engage with Us

Funding Opportunities

  • What & Who We Fund
  • What You Need to Know to Apply
  • Applicant Training
  • Merit Review Process
  • Awardee Resources
  • Help Center

Meetings & Events

February 26
Board of Governors Meeting: February 26, 2019
March 19
Board of Governors Meeting: March 19, 2019
April 16
Board of Governors Meeting: April 16, 2019

PCORI

Footer contact address

Patient-Centered Outcomes
Research Institute

1828 L Street, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 827-7700 | Fax: (202) 355-9558
info@pcori.org

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