The Affordable Care Act has created the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), an independent, non-profit organization that compares the clinical effectiveness of various treatments and procedures. PCORI funds research to better inform patients, families and caregivers in assessing the value of health care options.
PCORI aims to commit at least $355 million in support for patient-centered clinical effectiveness research (CER) in 2013. In May 2013, PCORI's Board approved $88.6 million in support for 51 projects under the institute's second cycle of primary research funding. In April 2013, PCORI also announced its plans to invest $68 million toward the development of a National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.
This research answers patient-focused questions, such as:
• “Given my personal characteristics, conditions and preferences, what should I expect will happen to me?”
• “What are my options and what are the benefits and harms of those options?”
• “What can I do to improve the outcomes that are most important to me?”
• “How can the health care system improve my chances of achieving the outcomes I prefer?”
To answer these questions, PCORI:
• Assesses the benefits and harms of preventive, diagnostic, therapeutic or health delivery system interventions to inform decision-making, highlighting comparisons and outcomes that matter to people.
• Includes an individual’s preferences, autonomy and needs, focusing on outcomes that people notice and care about, such as survival, function, symptoms and health-related quality of life.
