Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) was selected to receive a research award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) in 2013 to study the benefits of new models for delivering transitional care from the hospital to home within an Accountable Care Organization structure. The project, titled "Relative benefits of a hospital-PCMH collaboration within an ACO to improve care transitions," is part of a portfolio of patient-centered comparative clinical effectiveness research that addresses PCORI's National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda. BWH will be awarded approximately $1.9 million over three years to fund the research project and is one of only three hospitals in Massachusetts to receive a PCORI grant in this first cycle of primary research funding. The award is still subject to PCORI review and contract finalization.
The project will leverage recent health care reform efforts implemented across Partners HealthCare, such as the creation of Accountable Care Organizations (large medical organizations that take responsibility for lowering costs and improving care for a defined group of patients) and "Patient-Centered Medical Homes" (a new, team-based model of primary care to improve organization and delivery of care, with a focus on chronic disease management).
Compared with women who did not take part in HH4M, the HH4M group
