Mission Statement:

The National Center for Patient Interactive Research (CPIR) believes that unbiased, clinically significant, patient generated data must be hard wired into the present transformation of health information technology (HIT). The patient should not be a passive beneficiary of, but an active participant in, this transformation.

Patient Interactive Research (P-IR) is the study of technologies which engage the patient in a continuous, interactive and iterative process with their health care team. P-IR develops innovative ways for patients to contribute unbiased, clinically significant input to their care teams and the ongoing management of their health.

CPIR was founded on the belief that the patient must be an active participant in the transformation of the health care system.

Independent measurement of the comparative effectiveness of medical practices, focusing on both clinical processes and outcomes, will lead to continuous improvement. Hard wiring active patient participation and insight into these processes will lead to real world, cost effective solutions.

CPIR researches ways in which P-IR can be leveraged to facilitate true therapeutic partnerships between patients and care givers. Easy to use and understand patient interactive HIT empowers patients by encouraging dignified accountability in their health care management. Dignified accountability leads to improved health outcomes, patient satisfaction and cost savings. CPIR is primarily engaged in collaborative medical research with affiliated hospitals and integrated health systems, their medical staff and patients.

CPIR’s medical research explores the patient’s role in both the social and behavioral sciences related to the prevention and control of chronic diseases and improved quality of care. Hospitals and integrated health systems cooperate with CPIR by allowing use of appropriate medical personnel, facilities and patients which are crucial to CPIR’s mission

CPIR will support research and education which places patient interactive participation at the locus of HIT, comparative effectiveness research, quality of care and disease management. CPIR will support studies that explore how this knowledge can be leveraged not only to improve health outcomes through improved disease management, but also to develop targeted information therapy to address the prevention of the chronic diseases which limit patient’s lives, force employers out of business and cripple our health care system.

CPIR believes that patient interactive HIT can and must make a vital contribution to ending health care disparities. Poor communication between patients and providers creates disparities in the quality and effectiveness of health care for many vulnerable populations: minorities, the poor, the elderly and children. Low health literacy among certain patient populations and a lack of cultural competency among providers combine to create measurable disparities in health outcomes. CPIR will support research that seeks to develop patient interactive solutions that directly address these issues.

CPIR will also support research related to clinically significant, patient generated data in the Patient Centered Medical Home model. The Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH) promises to place the patient at the center of his health care team. The real success of the medical home model should be measured by how effectively it increases the role of the patient in his care team. This participation should be hard wired into the HIT innovations that will power the PCMH model.

CPIR will develop and deliver innovative training and educational materials for health care decision makers from the business, insurance, advocacy and provider arenas. We will work with these partners to develop targeted training and consulting services to advance the mission of P-IR.

CPIR believes that patients can, and should be, the desperately needed “game changer” in the transformation of health care. Real transparency, quality of care and health care reform require the patient’s integration in disruptive HIT innovation. CPIR will work in a collaborative model with stakeholders across the health care continuum to research, analyze and design best practices for the collection, dissemination and deployment of patient interactive data to achieve these goals.