U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) on Nov. 19 introduced a bipartisan bill to reauthorize the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), an independent nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010 that funds research to provide patients, caregivers and clinicians with evidence-based information to help them make better-informed healthcare decisions.
Sen. Capito cosponsored the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute Reauthorization Act, S. 2897, with bill sponsor U.S. Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) and fellow cosponsor U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA).
“In making healthcare decisions, it is essential patients have as much useful information as possible,” Sen. Capito said. “PCORI allows patients and their families to compare different treatment options, their effectiveness, and their costs to make more informed decisions. This hopefully helps them not only improve their care, but also spend limited health care dollars more wisely.”
If enacted, S. 2897 would extend funding for the institute through fiscal year 2029 and would establish an Expert Advisory Panel for High-Impact Research to assist and advise the institute on better ways to consider and target diseases, conditions and care interventions, among other items, that have a high-impact on national health spending, according to the text of the bill.
“One-size-fits-all medicine does not work. Patients deserve effective and efficient care tailored to them,” said Sen. Cassidy. “Healthcare costs are lowered when patients have information and can choose what is right for them.”
Among other provisions, S. 2897 also would direct PCORI to maintain its commitment to robust and meaningful patient engagement, including in the selection of national priority topics and research questions, according to a bill summary provided by Sen. Capito’s office.
The bill has been referred for consideration to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee.