BOSTON, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- Six new research projects designed to assess the efficacy of web-based patient-provider portals have been awarded grants by The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) through its Health e- Technologies Initiative national program.
Patient-provider portals -- unique, secure Internet-based sites containing a range of software tools and functions that are accessible by patients and their providers -- are gaining popularity. Early evidence suggests that some of the functions being offered via portals have the capacity to improve the processes, outcomes and quality of care for health behavior change and chronic disease management. However, limited research has been conducted to determine their effectiveness in improving the health of the patients who use them.
"We believe science-based research is the best way to ensure families and patients have information and tools they can rely on when their health is on the line," said David K. Ahern, Ph.D., national program director for the Health e-Technologies Initiative. "The $2.45 million in grants we are announcing today should help advance our nation's understanding of these tools. The grants also continue Health e-Technologies record of ambitious innovation and contribute to our clearinghouse of the emerging evidence and knowledge base required to lead the science of eHealth and build better eHealth programs."
The selected grantees (see attached list) will evaluate the effectiveness of portals as they relate to improving patient-provider communication, containing costs, providing reliable health information, reducing medical errors, and enhancing efficiency. Visit http://www.hetinitiative.org/ for more information on the program's extensive research portfolio and to access the literature library, collaboration community, editorial pieces and a comprehensive resource center.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, based in Princeton, N.J., is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health and health care. It concentrates its grantmaking in four goal areas: to assure that all Americans have access to quality health care at reasonable cost; to improve the quality of care and support for people with chronic health conditions; to promote healthy communities and lifestyles; and to reduce the personal, social and economic harm caused by substance abuse -- tobacco, alcohol and illicit drugs.
List of Grantees - for project summaries, visit http://www.hetinitiative.org/
Aurora Health Care Milwaukee, WI Weight Management for a Defined Employee Population Using an Interactive eHealth Portal Two-year grant totaling $398,851 Contact: Dr. Paul Hartlaub Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Boston, MA Improving Chronic Disease Care with PatientSite Two-year grant totaling $399,980 Contact: Dr. Lisa Iezzoni Geisinger Health Danville, PA Does Access to an EHR Patient Portal Influence Chronic Disease Outcomes? A Randomized Trial Assessing Clinical and Behavioral Change Outcomes in Patients with CHF, Diabetes or Secondary CVD Two-year grant totaling $399,028 Contact: Dr. Walter F. Stewart HispaniCare Roswell, GA Evaluation of the MiDieta (MyDiet) eHealth Portal to Facilitate Improved Diets, Increased Fitness-Levels, and Weight-Loss among U.S. Hispanics Two-year grant totaling $400,000 Contact: Dr. Dirk Schroeder The Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland, OH The Potential of Technology to Improve Chronic Disease Management and Quality of Care Two-year grant totaling $399,830 Contact: Dr. C. Martin Harris University of Colorado Health Sciences Center Aurora, CO D-STAR (Diabetes-System To Access Records): An Online Patient Portal to Improve and Sustain Diabetes Self-Care Two-year grant totaling $397,099 Contact: Dr. Stephen E. Ross
Media Contacts: Jen Neiley, Health e-Technologies Initiative, 617-525-6167 and Andrea Daitz, RWJF, 609-627-5937.
Health e-Technologies InitiativeCONTACT: Jen Neiley of Health e-Technologies Initiative, +1-617-525-6167; or Andrea Daitz of RWJF, +1-609-627-5937
Web site: http://www.hetinitiative.org/
