Funding from PCORI and AHRQ will allow Richard Grant to conduct studies on the best ways to address social needs, fill care gaps, and improve health equity
Adults with multiple chronic conditions make up one-third of the U.S. population but account for two-thirds of all clinical visits and 71% of health care expenditures. Many of these adults also have social needs related to food, transportation, housing, utilities, or financial insecurity that can impact their ability to get necessary care.
What is the best way to help these patients get the care they need?
Richard Grant, MD, MPH, a research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research and The Permanente Medical Group regional director of Research and Evaluation for Complex Needs, is launching 2 large studies designed to help improve the health of adults with multiple chronic conditions by identifying the best ways to address their social needs.
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has provided Grant with $4 million to lead a randomized controlled trial that will investigate 2 methods of providing referrals to patients with social risks to help close care gaps and improve patients’ health.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has provided Grant with $2 million to conduct a randomized controlled trial with researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Research Institute to develop and assess a new Whole Person Patient Navigator role that bridges medical and social needs.
We spoke with Grant about why this work is so important.
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