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PCORI

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

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  • About Us
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    About Us

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

    Fact Sheets: Learn More About PCORI

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

    Find It Fast

    Browse through an alphabetical list of frequently accessed and searched terms for information and resources.

    Subscribe to PCORI Email Alerts

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

  • Research & Results
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    Research & Results

    • Explore Our Portfolio
    • Evaluating Our Work
    • Research Results Highlights
    • Putting Evidence to Work
    • Peer Review
    • Evidence Synthesis
    • About Our Research

    Evidence Updates from PCORI-Funded Studies

    These updates capture highlights of findings from systematic reviews and our funded research studies.

    Journal Articles About Our Funded Research

    Browse through a collection of journal publications that provides insights into PCORI-funded work.

    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
    • Arthritis
    • Asthma
    • Cancer
    • Cardiovascular Disease
    • Children's Health
    • Community Health Workers
    • COVID-19
    • Dementia and Cognitive Impairment
    • Diabetes
    • Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities
    • Kidney Disease
    • Maternal Morbidity and Mortality
    • Medicaid
    • Men's Health
    • Mental and Behavioral Health
    • Minority Mental Health
    • Multiple Chronic Conditions
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Obesity
    • Older Adults' Health
    • Pain Care and Opioids
    • Rare Diseases
    • Rural Health
    • Shared Decision Making
    • Telehealth
    • Transitional Care
    • Veterans Health
    • Women's Health

    Featured Topic: Women's Health

    Learn more about the projects we support on conditions that specifically or more often affect women.

  • 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

    Engagement Tools and Resources for Research

    This searchable peer-to-peer repository includes resources that can inform future work in patient-centered outcomes research.

    Engagement Awards

    Learn about our Engagement Awards program and view the announcements of all our open funding opportunities.

    Research Fundamentals: A New On-Demand Training

    It enables those new to health research or patient-centered research to learn more about 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
    • Awardee Resources
    • Help Center

    PCORI Funding Opportunities

    View and learn about the newly opened funding announcements and the upcoming PFAs in 2021.

    Tips for Submitting a Responsive LOI

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

    PCORI Awardee Resources

    These resources can help awardees in complying with the terms and conditions of their contract.

  • Meetings & Events
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    Meetings & Events

    • Upcoming
    • Past Events

    PCORI 2021 and Beyond

    During this webinar, PCORI leaders shared ways to get involved in PCOR, improvements to our funding opportunities, and more.

    2020 PCORI Annual Meeting

    Watch recordings of sessions and view titles and descriptions of posters presented at the virtual meeting.

    Board Approves Future PFA Topics at April Meeting

    The more than a dozen high-priority research topics will be considered for PCORI Funding Announcements (PFAs) that will be released this fall and in 2022.

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  • Research & Results
  • About Our Research

About Our Research

Engaging patients, caregivers, clinicians, insurers, and other healthcare community members is at the core of PCORI’s unique approach to research funding. Our goal is to support research that will provide reliable, useful information to help people make informed healthcare decisions and improve patient care and outcomes.

PCORI's funded research projects by area
Comparative clinical effectiveness research ($2 billion, 78%)
Infrastructure (including PCORnet) ($408 million, 16%)
Methodology ($146 million, 6%)
As of January 2021.

Our Approach

We use two ways to identify research questions to study. We issue broad calls for proposals drawing on investigators’ best ideas. We also issue targeted funding announcements to address questions we select through topic generation and research prioritization. Targeted research may take place through sets of studies dedicated to a specific clinical area.

Alternatively, this research takes place through pragmatic clinical studies, which usually are larger in scale, take place in real-life care situations, and include more-diverse patient groups than traditional trials. Our National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda is the road map guiding all of our work.

PCORI's research projects by populations of interest -
Racial/ethnic minorities (331) Low income groups (223) Women (184) Older adults (153)
Individuals with multiple chronic conditions (126) Children (115) Urban populations (109) Residents of Rura

Comparative Clinical Effectiveness Research

We primarily fund comparative clinical effectiveness research, or CER. These studies compare the benefits and harms of two or more treatments, clinical strategies, or other approaches to health care. The type of CER we support, patient-centered outcomes research, or PCOR, focuses on outcomes that patients and other healthcare stakeholders tell us are important. Our awardees use various study designs in their research.

PCORI is authorized to consider the full range of clinical and patient-centered outcomes relevant to patients, caregivers and stakeholders. Additionally, our awardees are encouraged to collect data , when appropriate, on the potential burdens and economic impacts of the utilization of medical treatments, items, and services. 

Collaboration

We support collaboration with other research funders to influence others to engage in patient-centered outcomes studies. Such partnerships also can leverage expertise across the research community to maximize the impact of PCORI’s investments.

PCORI's research projects by most studied conditions
Mental/behavioral health (144) Cancer (95) Neurological Disorders (78) Cardiovascular Diseases (77)
Multiple Chronic Conditions (60) Nutritional and Metabolic Disorders (59) Respiratory Diseases

Advancing CER Methods

Another crucial part of our work is developing and improving methods of patient-centered CER. As part of that effort, PCORI’s Methodology Committee has developed standards for all of the research we fund. These standards represent basic practices in planning, designing, and conducting studies to ensure patient-centeredness and engagement throughout the research process.

Evaluating Our Progress

As proponents of evidence-based practice, we’re eager to learn what works best to ensure that the research we fund produces useful information that leads to improved health outcomes. Learn how we monitor our progress. Through our evaluation activities, we also discover how we can improve our work and assess the impact of our patient-centered approach.

A graphic with an icon illustrating a hand holding a key, with the words Key Features of Our Funded Research

-- Compares at least two healthcare options
-- Focuses on outcomes that are meaningful to patients
-- Engages patients and other stakeholders at every stage
-- Studies benefits and harms of care delivered in real-world settings
-- Adheres to PCORI's Methodology Standards
-- Is likely to improve current clinical practice

A graphic with an icon illustrating a clipboard with magnifying glass, with the words Areas We Study

-- Conditions that place heavy burdens on patients, families, or healthcare systems
-- Chronic conditions
-- Multiple coexisting conditions
-- Rare and understudied conditions
-- Conditions with variable outcomes across subpopulations
-- Populations at risk for healthcare disparities

Research and Results - Estimated Completion Timelines for PCORI-funded Research Projects
2017 - 53 projects | 2018 - 178 projects | 2019 - 293 projects | 2020 - 366 projects | 2021 - 460 projects | 2022 - 528 projects | 2023 - 579 projects | 2024 - 648 projects | 2025 - 707 projects | 2026 - 748 projects
As of February 2021
Cumulative estimates through 2031 of PCORI-funded projects that have completed award activities, undergone peer review, and have findings posted on PCORI’s website. Estimates include studies funded as of January 1, 2017, and projections of future projects funded through 2031.

Posted: March 19, 2017; Updated: March 22, 2021

About Our Research

  • How We Select Research Topics
  • Research We Support
  • Principles for the Consideration of the Full Range of Outcomes Data in PCORI-Funded Research
  • Collaborating with Other Research Funders
  • Research Methodology
  • Evaluating Our Work

About Us

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

Research & Results

  • Explore Our Portfolio
  • Evaluating Our Work
  • Research Results Highlights
  • 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
  • Awardee Resources
  • Help Center

Meetings & Events

April 19
Increasing Vaccine Confidence among Long-Term Care Workers: Expedited COVID-19 PFA -- Applicant Town Hall
April 27
Priorities on the Health Horizon: Informing PCORI's Strategic Plan (Webinar #2)
May 6
Advisory Panel on Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research Spring 2021 Meeting

PCORI

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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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