For a study comparing health system–level interventions where the primary analyses are patient-centered outcomes, can funding be used to conduct secondary analyses of economic impacts?

Due to the terms of our founding legislation, PCORI is unable to consider any applications that contain cost-effectiveness analysis as one of the aims or goals. Studies that propose to describe or compare costs of care, or to conduct empirical or simulated cost-effectiveness analyses, will be deemed nonresponsive and will not advance to merit review. It is acceptable to study out-of-pocket costs to patients, which may be proposed for measurement and used as either an outcome or as a mediating variable in analyses. Please see FAQs about cost effectiveness.