Case Studies

An NIH study of treatments for high blood pressure, called the ALLHAT trial, shows some of the strengths and limitations of comparative effectiveness research to improve patient care. More...

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Tony Coelho Discusses Patient Care with Former HHS Secretary
February 3, 2012 |

On Tuesday night, PIPC Chairman Tony Coelho joined former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson at the University of Charleston in West Virginia for a speaker series titled "Who Decides Patient Treatments" to discuss the future of health care in the United States.

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PCORI Releases their Draft Priorities
January 30, 2012 |

PCORI released a draft of their National Priorities for Research and Research Agenda for public comment. The PCORI Board, which is responsible for funding research, is asking for a 55 day public comment period to discuss and solicit feedback from patients, caregivers, professionals, and the general public on the research priorities.

In the draft, PCORI prioritized five broad research areas:

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Differentiating Patients, Consumers, and Patient Advocacy Organizations
October 18, 2011 |

When conducting Comparative Effectiveness Research it is crucial to understand the differences between the players involved in the process. In his remarks at the  2nd Annual Forum on Achieving Patient centeredness , Marc Boutin, executive vice president and COO at the National Health Council, discussed the important differences between the three major players in the process: the patient, the consumer, and the patient advocacy organization. He stated that many times when the patient is discussed they are not defined.

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Informing and Deciding

How should research be used? Every patient is different, so what works best for one patient may not work for someone else. That's why government CER efforts should focus on making research widely available to decision-makers, but shouldn't make policy recommendations or decisions itself, which would lead to one-size-fits-all policies that ignore how people are different. If a new CER entity has a mandate to make decisions about what types of treatments should or should not be covered, then patients and providers could lose their ability to apply research results to their unique situation. To learn more about the risks of centralized coverage policy decisions, click here.

This is also why it is important for research results to be communicated quickly and accurately, and in ways that help doctors and patients apply results to the individual's circumstances. This means discussing the different factors that can help decide which treatment is optimal for the individual, like the patient's particular medical condition and genetic variations.

What kinds of research can help improve patient care? To improve patient care, CER research should examine the range of issues that affect the quality of patient care. This includes the range of medical tests and treatments, and well as questions related to health care delivery and organization, such as benefit designs and care management programs. All of these elements of health care affect patients' quality of care and health outcomes. In addition. research should include the different factors important to patients, including quality of life, independence, and productivity.