PCORI awards Kaiser Permanente $7M to build national research network

Thanks to a $7 million grant from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), Kaiser Permanente (KP) is working to build a data network aimed at improving outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer, heart disease and obesity, according to the Calif.-based health system.

The grant is part of $93.5 million in funding PCORI distributed last month to 29 network projects to form PCORnet: the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network.

Through the funding, KP will build a network called PORTAL, which will bring together four health systems, including KP, Group Health Cooperative, HealthPartners and Denver Health, and the 11 research centers affiliated with these systems as well as patients, clinicians and operational leaders to develop the infrastructure necessary to conduct comparative effectiveness research.

During the next 18 months, the KP-led team will expand and improve its research systems, continue work on standardizing its data for research and participate in developing policies for the national network. KP also will enhance PORTAL's capacity to engage and recruit patients and other stakeholders interested in engaging in research.

In total, PCORI has awarded $464.4 million since it began funding comparative effectiveness research in 2012. More information on its funding program is here.