Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

What Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute does

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent nonprofit research funding organization established by Congress under the Affordable Care Act of 2010 and headquartered in Washington, D.C. Its statutory mandate is to fund patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER), which compares two or more medical treatments, services, or health practices to produce evidence that helps patients, caregivers, and clinicians make informed healthcare decisions. Since 2010, PCORI has awarded more than $5 billion across more than 2,600 research studies and related projects, producing over 5,020 peer-reviewed articles and 706+ studies with results.

PCORI's core offerings form a comprehensive research-funding ecosystem. The flagship Research Funding Program issues PCORI Funding Announcements several times per year and supports CER studies guided by four National Priorities for Health. PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, is a large-scale electronic-data infrastructure that links Clinical Data Research Networks, Patient-Powered Research Networks, and health system partners for rapid-cycle, multi-site studies. The Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program funds non-research activities to build capacity and integrate patients and stakeholders into research, while the Dissemination and Implementation Program funds uptake of PCORI-funded evidence into real-world practice. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Data Repository (PCODR), operated with ICPSR, is the only data collection dedicated exclusively to PCORI-funded patient-centered CER data. Supporting infrastructure includes the Explore Our Portfolio search tool, the PCORI Horizon Scanning Database, the Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer, and the Foundational Expectations for Partnerships in Research framework (updated 2024).

PCORI is funded through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund, financed by congressional appropriations from the Department of Health and Human Services, with no products or services sold commercially. Its customer base consists of grant awardees spanning research institutions, academic medical centers, healthcare delivery systems, and patient advocacy organizations. Distribution occurs through competitive grant cycles with two-stage applications (Letters of Intent followed by full applications) evaluated by merit review panels that include patients, clinicians, and researchers. Strategic partners include the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and ICPSR, alongside the PCORnet partner network. The organization was reauthorized by Congress in 2019 and is governed by a Board of Governors with guidance from a Methodology Committee and multiple Advisory Panels.

Name

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

Legal name

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

Website

https://pcori.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

PCORI is an independent nonprofit research funding organization established by Congress in 2010 that has awarded more than $5 billion across over 2,600 comparative clinical effectiveness studies. It serves academic medical centers, health systems, and patient advocacy organizations via competitive grants and operates the PCORnet national clinical research infrastructure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Research Funding

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Health and Welfare Funds (52512)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Trial Financial Management & Payments (Site Budgeting) (HLAGACAM)

Keywords

• Comparative effectiveness research
• Patient-centered outcomes research
• Healthcare research funding
• Clinical research infrastructure
• Patient engagement research

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Federal Appropriations: PCORI is funded through federal appropriations authorized by Congress. As an independent nonprofit organization authorized by the Affordable Care Act, PCORI receives annual appropriations to fund comparative clinical effectiveness research and related activities.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

PCORI funds patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) that compares two or more healthcare options to help patients, caregivers, and clinicians make informed healthcare decisions. It operates competitive research funding programs, engagement awards, and dissemination and implementation initiatives, and maintains the PCORnet national clinical research network as core data infrastructure. Since 2010, PCORI has awarded more than $5 billion across more than 2,600 research studies and related projects.

Product overview

PCORI operates as a research funding organization rather than a traditional software product company. Its core offering is a comprehensive patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) ecosystem comprising funding programs, research infrastructure, engagement frameworks, and data sharing resources. The portfolio includes: PCORnet® (the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network) as the core data infrastructure; the Research Funding Program for CER studies; the Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program for non-research engagement support; the Dissemination and Implementation Program for evidence uptake; the Patient-Centered Outcomes Data Repository (PCODR) for data sharing; and the Foundational Expectations for Partnerships in Research framework for engagement guidance. Supporting tools include the Explore Our Portfolio search repository, the PCORI Horizon Scanning Database for emerging healthcare technologies, and the Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer. Since 2010, PCORI has awarded more than $5 billion in funding to support over 2,600 research studies and related projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• PCORnet: PCORnet, The National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, is a large-scale research infrastructure initiative developed by PCORI for improving the conduct of patient-centered CER.

Products and services

• PCORnet® (The National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network) A large, highly representative electronic-data infrastructure network for improving the conduct of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research. It includes Clinical Data Research Networks (CDRN), Patient Powered Research Networks (PPRN), and coordinating centers that facilitate rapid-cycle research studies and support PCORI's National Priorities for Health.
• PCORI Research Funding Program PCORI's primary funding mechanism for patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER). It issues funding announcements (PFAs) several times per year supporting studies that compare two or more healthcare options, focus on patient-meaningful outcomes, and engage patients throughout the research process.
• Eugene Washington PCORI Engagement Award Program Non-research awards that encourage better integration of patients and other stakeholders into the research process. Awards support building capacity for engagement, convening around patient-centered CER topics, and disseminating PCORI-funded research findings to relevant communities.
• Dissemination and Implementation Program Funding opportunities that support projects actively facilitating the uptake and integration of evidence from PCORI-funded studies, in the context of related evidence, into real-world practice. Includes Implementation PFAs and Dissemination Projects.
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Data Repository (PCODR) A collaboration between PCORI and ICPSR that facilitates responsible data sharing for appropriate secondary use through preservation of research data and documentation from PCORI-funded studies. Currently the only collection focused exclusively on patient-centered CER data from PCORI-funded studies.
• Explore Our Portfolio A searchable repository of PCORI-funded comparative clinical effectiveness research studies and related projects including engagement projects, dissemination and implementation initiatives, and research infrastructure projects.
• PCORI Horizon Scanning Database A database offering healthcare decision makers findings about advancements in key areas including Alzheimer's Disease, Cancer, and Cardiovascular and Cardiometabolic Conditions to identify emerging technologies and interventions.
• Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer A searchable database of published literature about engagement in health research, enabling users to explore how patient and stakeholder engagement is being studied and implemented across the field.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCORI has collaborated with AHRQ to advance patient-centered CER through several activities, leveraging expertise across the research community to maximize the impact of PCORI's investments.
• ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCORI collaborates with ICPSR on the Patient-Centered Outcomes Data Repository (PCODR), a collection of patient-centered CER data from PCORI-funded studies. PCODR facilitates responsible data sharing for appropriate secondary use through preservation of research data and documentation.
• PCORnet Partner NetworkscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPCORnet, The National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, is a collaboration with Clinical Data Research Networks (CDRNs), Patient Powered Research Networks (PPRNs), and health system partners that provide infrastructure for patient-centered outcomes research.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): Federal agency within HHS that funds health services research and comparative effectiveness studies. Most direct functional peer to PCORI; both produce evidence to inform clinical and policy decisions and have collaborated explicitly on CER.
• Cochrane Collaboration: International not-for-profit organization producing systematic reviews of healthcare interventions. Directly comparable because it generates the type of CER evidence PCORI funds and is cited by clinicians alongside PCORI-funded studies.
• Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute — itself: Not applicable — anchor company itself; included as a placeholder only.

Broad incumbents

• National Institutes of Health (NIH): The largest US federal biomedical research funder (~$45B+ annual budget) operating many institutes that fund patient-relevant and effectiveness research. NIH dwarfs PCORI in scale and is a broad incumbent whose funding overlaps significantly with PCORI's mandate.
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation: Large US health-focused philanthropy funding research on health systems, equity, and outcomes — overlapping themes with PCORI's CER agenda. Comparable as a non-governmental research funder with adjacent mandates.
• Wellcome Trust: Major UK-based global charitable foundation funding biomedical and population health research. Comparable as a non-governmental research funder of patient-relevant and public-health research at substantially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER): US-based health technology assessment organization producing comparative effectiveness and cost-effectiveness analyses. Overlaps with PCORI's CER mission but focuses more on value-based pricing and shorter horizon analyses.
• Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research: Health system-based research institute conducting real-world effectiveness and implementation studies, including funded studies involving PCORI infrastructure. Comparable as a downstream researcher that PCORI funds (e.g., the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute antinausea-medications pregnancy study).

Regional players

• National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR, UK): UK government funder of clinical and applied health research including comparative effectiveness studies. Functionally analogous to PCORI in mandate (funding patient-relevant CER) but operates in the UK NHS context.
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR): Canada's federal agency for health research funding, including comparative effectiveness and patient-oriented research. Comparable mandate to PCORI but serving the Canadian provincial health systems.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PCORI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/PCORINews
• Facebookfacebook.com/pcorinstitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/patient-centered-outcomes-research-institute-pcori-
• Instagraminstagram.com/pcori_org

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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M&A

Investments23 records

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Frequently asked questions about Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute