Humana Pharmacy Solutions’ health economics and outcomes research subsidiary, Comprehensive Health Insights, has been approved for a $3.6 million funding award by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI).

The three-year project funded by the award creates a research infrastructure linking Humana’s administrative claims database with PCORI Clinical Data Research Networks to create “HUMnet” and conduct research studies that add value and impact to PCORI.

The project is designed to show how health plans can partner with PCORI Clinical Data Research Networks to capture de-identified data, especially from claims and membership records. This is in support of the network’s goal of speeding research that can help patients and those who care for them make better-informed health care decisions. To accomplish this, Comprehensive Health Insights will utilize a Distributed Research Network approach based on a Common Data Model.

Humana’s Comprehensive Health Insights, based in Louisville, Ky., is comprised of more than 90 associates who conduct research across three dimensions of customers: public, private and Humana. The team focuses on treatment effectiveness, drug safety, adherence, medical and pharmacy benefit design, disease management programs, and other health care services.

“Humana is honored to be selected for this funding award as it reflects our commitment to engage and work with organizations like PCORI to improve the health of the nation,” said William Fleming, president, Humana Pharmacy Solutions. “This is a very prestigious award and reflects the strength of the research leaders inside Humana’s Comprehensive Health Insights team.”

“This project was selected for PCORI funding not only for its scientific merit and commitment to engaging patients and other stakeholders, but also for its potential to fill an important gap in our health knowledge and give people information to help them weigh the effectiveness of their care options,” said PCORI Executive Director Joe Selby, M.D., MPH. “We look forward to following the study’s progress and working with Humana’s Comprehensive Health Insights to share the results.”

Humana’s Comprehensive Health Insights study was selected for PCORI funding through a highly competitive review process in which patients, clinicians, and other stakeholders joined clinical scientists to evaluate the proposals. Applications were assessed for scientific merit, how well they will engage patients and other stakeholders, and their methodological rigor, among other criteria.

Humana’s Comprehensive Health Insights’ award has been approved pending completion of a business and programmatic review by PCORI staff and issuance of a formal award contract.

PCORI is an independent, nonprofit organization authorized by Congress in 2010. Its mission is to fund research that will provide patients, their caregivers, and clinicians with the evidence-based information needed to make better-informed healthcare decisions.

PCORnet, the National Patient-Centered Clinical Research Network, is an innovative initiative of PCORI that aims to improve the nation’s capacity to conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research efficiently by creating a large, highly representative network for conducting clinical outcomes research that directly involves patients in the development and execution of the research.