Heart Institute named recipient of $646,499 PCORI pilot project to engage patients in a study of patient-centered outcomes in peripheral arterial disease

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (June 18, 2012) — Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute has been selected to receive $646,499 from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to engage patients in a study of patient-centered outcomes in peripheral arterial disease (PAD), PCORI announced today. The award is part of PCORI’s Pilot Projects Program, which will address a broad range of questions about methods for engaging patients in various aspects of the research and dissemination process.

Kim Smolderen, Ph.D., research scholar at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, will lead the two-year research project in collaboration with John Spertus M.D., MPH, clinical director of Outcomes Research and Missouri/Lauer Endowed Chair at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and a team at Saint Luke’s Hospital. This project, PORTRAIT, will design and test the infrastructure for a larger, future study focusing on patient-centered outcomes through a partnership with a wide spectrum of PAD patients and providers treating patients with PAD.

The project reflects the belief that critical input is needed from patients with PAD to design a future, multi-center registry of PAD patients’ health status outcomes over time. Accordingly, the grant will support a series of focus groups. Patients and providers from different centers, including Yale University, will help the research team define what outcomes PAD patients value most, how best to develop the screening and research design for a subsequent study, and how to be maximally inclusive of a wide variety of patients with PAD. The funding for Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute has been approved pending completion of a business review and a formal award agreement with PCORI.

PCORI is an independent, non-profit organization whose establishment was authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions.

"It is very exciting to have been selected by PCORI to receive support for this pilot project," said Dr. Spertus. "It will model a new approach to conducting research by including patients in the entire research process - members of our steering committee and guides in the design, execution and interpretation of our study. Moreover, the entire Kansas City community is increasingly interested, led by the KC Chamber of Commerce's Big 5 initiatives, in patient-oriented and translational research. This award is great validation of our region's promise in this increasingly important area of life sciences research."

“The pilot projects will improve our understanding of how to conduct research and disseminate research findings in ways that are more responsive to the needs of patients and the health care community,” said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, M.D., MPH. “We are excited to be funding 50 projects nationwide, led by creative and innovative researchers. Their work will help us establish a foundation for patient-centered outcomes research that will give patients, caregivers, and clinicians the tools they need every day.”

PCORI is committing $30 million in funding over two years for the pilot projects, which were selected by PCORI‘s Board of Governors through a competitive, multi-stage review process. Proposals were evaluated for their scientific merit and rigor and fit within eight areas of interest outlined in the pilot projects announcement.

Awards, approved for research institutions in 24 states and the District of Columbia, include those for projects designed to develop a range of tools and techniques aimed at improving patient-centered care and decision-making; create new patient-centered care measures; and improve delivery of patient-centered counseling and care in various health care settings.

In describing the project, Dr. Smolderen said, “In line with PCORI’s mission, the PORTRAIT study will obtain stakeholder

input to allow the patients’ voice will be heard in assessing the value of health care options. In our preparatory work for this project, we learned that patients expressed a need to be part of a process that will inform, educate, and prepare them for that which lies ahead with their disease, so that they can make informed decisions about their treatments. PORTRAIT will explicitly pay attention to the personal characteristics that may impact patients’ outcomes, and will ask patients from heterogeneous backgrounds to prioritize outcomes that are relevant to them.

For more information about the PCORI Pilot Projects, visit www.pcori.org.

About PCORI
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, non-profit organization authorized by Congress. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed health care decisions. PCORI is committed to continuously seeking input from a broad range of stakeholders to guide its work. More information is available at www.pcori.org.