US health system Mercy has secured a four-year funding award from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) to expand its artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, electronic patient-reported monitoring platform to all adult patients receiving chemotherapy.
The initiative, part of PCORI’s Health Systems Implementation Initiative (HSII), aims to expand the range of Mercy’s Chen Chemotherapy Model, which will now serve a wider age group and include more diagnoses.
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The platform’s enhancements are set to improve patient care by addressing symptoms, in addition to behavioural health, physical function, and health-related social needs.
The system will also evolve to include automated phone messages and MyMercy communications for those unresponsive to text messages.
Mercy Research vice-president JoAnne Levy said: “With this funding award, Mercy is able to bring innovation to the patients we serve much more quickly than through traditional methods for implementing research findings.
“We continue to build on the success of each PCORI project implementation and look forward to continuing to deliver even more value to Mercy patients in the future.”
This approach is based on a PCORI-funded study that showed benefits in symptom control and quality of life for patients engaging with electronic patient-reported outcome surveys.
The expanded programme is scheduled to be available by October 2026.
Mercy chief clinical excellence officer and care transitions vice-president Ursula Wright, alongside chief operating officer Dr John Mohart, will lead the project as co-principal investigators.
Last October, Mercy received PCORI funding to initiate the Mercy Intensive Lifestyle Treatment for Weight Loss programme, which is set to launch in January 2026.
Mercy has been a participant in PCORI’s HSII since February 2023, and the current funding is contingent upon the completion of PCORI’s business and programmatic review and the formal award contract issuance.
Earlier in the year, Mercy announced the opening of Mercy Clinic Primary Care – Waterloo Illinois Route 3, furthering its commitment to providing healthcare to Monroe County and the surrounding community.
