UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care Approved for Major Research Award

PITTSBURGH, Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Filling the unmet medical needs of adults with serious mental illness is the goal of a pilot program from the UPMC Center for High-Value Health Care, which has been approved for a research award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

The Center for High-Value Health Care, which is housed under the UPMC Insurance Services Division, was one of 25 health-related agencies approved for funding from PCORI to advance that organization's mission of helping people "make informed health care decisions, and improve health care delivery and outcomes, by producing and promoting high integrity, evidence-based information that comes from research guided by patients, caregivers and the broader health care community."

James Schuster, Chief Medical Officer for Community Care Behavioral Health, which is also part of the UPMC Insurance Services Division, is the principal investigator for the project, titled, "Optimizing Behavioral Health Homes by Focusing on Outcomes that Matter Most for Adults with Serious Mental Illness."

The Center sought $1.7 million in funding under PCORI's Improving Healthcare Systems research initiative. The program will test two promising ways to promote the health, wellness, and recovery of adults with serious mental illness. One will help patients manage their care through a web-based portal and peer support and the other through interactions with nurses during clinic visits. Nearly 3,000 Medicaid-enrolled adults who are at risk for chronic medical conditions and receive care at rural community mental health centers, will be targeted for participation.