CHOP is an academic medical center with a track record of excellence in pediatric research, including discovery of cures for pediatric illnesses. Our team helps programs across the enterprise obtain government support and resources to advance innovation in pediatric care and continue to move the needle towards breakthroughs that enhance high-quality healthcare delivery for children.

Telehealth can offer “care anywhere” and offer convenience when in-person care is not required to achieve the goals of the appointment

Telehealth lets your healthcare provider care for you remotely via phone, video, message portals or remote patient monitoring. It connects clinicians to patients in their homes and communities.

Many parts of the country, particularly rural areas, lack pediatric healthcare providers to care for children. The use of telehealth can serve to bridge the gap in availability of providers. The exponential growth in the adoption and use of telehealth services during healthcare disruptions, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, highlights the need to clarify the goals and best practices for using telehealth in child health.

For children with complex conditions, telehealth services are a game-changer: A recent randomized trial found that children receiving services by telehealth were significantly less likely to have episodes of serious illness, to visit an emergency department or to need hospitalization. The study also found a projected cost savings of $7,563 per child annually.

CHOP is actively working with our Digital Health team to create local and regional partnerships to provide more pediatric telehealth services, including remote diagnoses and care for kids with direct connection to their pediatric medical home.

Commonwealth Universal Research (CURE)

The Pennsylvania Commonwealth Universal Research Enhancement Program, also known as CURE, was established in 2001 by Act 77, funded by the tobacco settlement. The funds from this state program flow from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and are intended to support broad-based research, in addition to research related to tobacco use.

CHOP researchers, including Stephan A. Grupp, MD, PhD, have been recipients of CURE funds for a number of years. In fact, Dr. Grupp credits CURE dollars with contributing to his breakthrough research on treating pediatric leukemia with T-cell therapy, which is now approved by the FDA.

Our Government Affairs team advocates annually at the state level for the CURE Program.

National Institute of Health investment in pediatric research

CHOP’s Research Institute is one of the nation’s largest recipients of NIH funding made available to pediatric hospitals. Approximately 2,000 investigators and research staff working in over 821,000 square feet of laboratory space on the hospital campuses conduct research that has led to pioneering treatments and innovative technologies that are dramatically improving health outcomes for children.

NIH awards help fund this groundbreaking research, and equally importantly, the researchers themselves. Advocacy efforts are crucial in maintaining this grant funding and finding new grants to help power tomorrow’s breakthroughs.