Statement: PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby on Government Accountability Office review

PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD, MPH, issued the following statement about the new US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report.

"PCORI is very pleased by the just-released US Government Accountability Office (GAO) review, and the comments it cites from our stakeholders, of how we are using the funds available to us through the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund.

"The report is a straightforward description of our activities, with no GAO criticisms or recommendations for improvement. This is a welcome follow-up to the GAO’s 2015 review of our work, which found that we were meeting the mandates of our authorizing law as of that date.

"We are gratified that the stakeholders GAO interviewed generally support our awards and priorities for funding comparative clinical effectiveness research (CER) and related projects—such as enhancing research infrastructure—that will help patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders make better-informed health decisions.

"We are particularly pleased that most stakeholders recognize PCORI’s leadership in changing the way health research is conducted by engaging patients and prioritizing research outcomes most meaningful to them. And we are excited that they highlight the importance of disseminating the findings of our funded studies quickly, in ways readily available and understandable to experts and the public. We are eager to work with them to achieve those goals.

"Even with this positive review, we know we have more work to do to fully align our efforts with the needs of our stakeholders and the public. So as a growing collection of important and useful results emerges from our funded studies, we will continue working closely with our stakeholders to develop and implement the best ways to provide patients, clinicians, payers, and others with the evidence they need to make decisions about improving care and outcomes. We also will continue to improve and refine our processes for collecting and acting on stakeholder input about how we can best serve patients and those who care for them as we fund additional research and related projects.

"We’re confident the results coming from our funded studies, and our leadership in advancing patient-centered, stakeholder-driven health research, will demonstrate the value and need for our work. It’s clear to us and many others that PCORI’s mandate and mission is a critical element in achieving the goal we all share of supporting a patient-centered and value-based healthcare system."