The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) announced Monday the start of a public comment period for its landmark draft Methodology Report, which proposes standards for the conduct of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR).

Feedback received during the 54-day comment period, which ends at 11:59 p.m. ET Friday, September 14, will be analyzed for potential incorporation into a revised version of the report that is to be considered for adoption by the PCORI Board of Governors at its November 2012 public meeting in Boston.

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The report, which identifies 60 standards for PCOR, was produced by PCORI’s 17-member Methodology Committee, a panel of top research methodology experts appointed by the U.S. Government Accountability Office. The report is a critical step in guiding health care stakeholders towards the best and most appropriate methods for conducting PCOR.

"We believe that methods matter – that patients deserve research results that meet the highest scientific standards," said Committee Chair Sherine Gabriel, MD, professor of medicine and of epidemiology and the William J. and Charles H. Mayo Professor at the Mayo Clinic. "We now need the input of all health care stakeholders to ensure that their perspective is reflected in this resource."

Comments on the draft report are being accepted through an online comment and survey tool where respondents may answer a series of general and specific questions about the report. In addition, respondents may upload a document to provide any additional comments. All responses received through pcori.org will be displayed for public view on the website, as required by law.

"We want the result of this process to be a resource that everyone can rely upon and use to produce the trusted information we all seek to support better clinical decision-making," said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, MD. "Americans today have more health care options than ever when it comes to preventing, diagnosing, and treating illness. Making choices without knowing which pieces of information are trustworthy causes any health care decision to be even more stressful and challenging than it otherwise should be."

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The committee will review the comments received and revise the draft so that it reflects the perspectives of the full health care community. The revised report then will be submitted to PCORI’s Board of Governors for consideration and approval. 

As the new methods are implemented and verified, the report will continue to be revised and improved, with the ongoing help of all health care stakeholders, to ensure it remains the foundation for credible patient-centered outcomes research that can inform decision-making.