FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
WASHINGTON – America’s Essential Hospitals’ research entity, Essential Hospitals Institute, has launched an 18-month project to explore whether and to what extent hospitals use patient-centered outcomes and comparative effectiveness research (PCOR/CER) to improve care delivery.
The recently launched project is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Awards. This contract supports activities to gather information from essential hospitals about their use of PCOR/CER information and determine appropriate ways to share this evidence with patients to aid decision-making.
“There is a great need for more evidence on the use and implementation of PCOR/CER approaches within essential hospitals,” said Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, president and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals. “Understanding what works best and sharing that broadly will improve care for all patients. We’re grateful for PCORI’s support as we do that.”
The project will use a mix of methods, including qualitative and quantitative data and deliberative processes, to:
- understand how essential hospitals view the utility of PCOR/CER in their work, implementation activities, and future needs;
- develop a landscape review of the use of PCOR/CER by essential hospitals;
- identify barriers to the widespread adoption of PCOR/CER initiatives in the association’s member hospitals;
- build a road map for essential hospitals to overcome these barriers and to enable mass adoption of PCOR/CER; and
- disseminate the road map to promote PCOR/CER integration.
In the long term, this initiative will lead to development of channels and networks for disseminating and implementing PCOR/CER findings while engaging patients, clinicians, hospitals administrators, policymakers, and payers. The Institute also hopes to use the project to build a skilled community of patients, caregivers, and health care providers among essential hospitals.
Kalpana Ramiah, DrPH, the association’s research director, says the project will be the first to understand in depth the unique challenges and opportunities of PCOR/CER use by hospitals with a safety-net role. “Vulnerable patients face many social and economic barriers to successful care outcomes,” she says. “Our hospitals’ long experience serving this population will be invaluable as we build a base of evidence for wider adoption of patient-centered approaches.”
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About America’s Essential Hospitals
America’s Essential Hospitals is the leading association and champion for hospitals and health systems dedicated to high-quality care for all, including the most vulnerable. Since 1981, America’s Essential Hospitals has initiated, advanced, and preserved programs and policies that help these hospitals ensure access to care. We support members with advocacy, policy development, research, and education.
Our nearly 300 members are vital to their communities, providing primary care through trauma care, disaster response, health professional training, research, public health programs, and other services. They innovate and adapt to lead the broader health care community toward more effective and efficient care. Learn more at essentialhospitals.org.
About Essential Hospitals Institute
Essential Hospitals Institute is the research and quality arm of America’s Essential Hospitals. The Institute supports the nation’s essential hospitals as they provide high-quality, equitable, and affordable care to their communities. Working with members of America’s Essential Hospitals, we identify promising practices from the field, conduct research, disseminate innovative strategies, and help our members improve their organizational performance. We do all of this with an eye toward improving individual and population health, especially for vulnerable people.
Contact:
Carl Graziano
cgraziano@essentialhospitals.org
202.585.0102
