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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PIPC chairman delivers speech to specialty docs on importance of patient centered CER
July 6, 2010 |

Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) chairman, Tony Coelho, recently delivered a speech on patient centered comparative effectiveness research (CER) in front of fifty specialty doctors from around the country, among others, at the Alliance for Specialty Medicine’s (ASM) “Capitol Hill Advocacy Conference.” The conference took place just a day before the specialty doctors met w

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Tony Coelho's recent speech on patient centered CER
June 24, 2010 |

Below: PIPC Chairman Tony Coelho's recent speech on patient centered CER. The speech was delivered on Tuesday, June 22, 2010 at the Alliance for Specialty Medicine's “Capitol Hill Advocacy Conference,” in Washington, D.C.

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Lack of support for "evidence-based health care"— don't blame the patient
June 10, 2010 |

A new Health Affairs article concludes, based on focus groups and interviews, that "consumers will revolt if evidence-based efforts are perceived as rationing or as a way to deny them needed treatment."

You don't need to look any further than public reaction to the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force's updated recommendations on mammography screening to see the proof of this.
 
How should policy-makers react? Should they conclude that consumers, and even more so, patients, cannot be relied on to make evidence-based decisions, and therefore these decisions need to be made for them? Or should they conclude that evidence-based models of medical care and health delivery need to be carefully constructed so they have the trust and support of patients and consumers?

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Patient Group Supports CER Language in Senate Health Care Reform Bill

WASHINGTON, DC – The Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) today applauded Senator Reid’s Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for including strong patient-centered comparative effectiveness research (CER) language. The CER language is based on the approach taken by Senators Baucus and Conrad in their CER bill (S. 1213), which is supported by over 100 organizations across the country, representing patients, providers, people with disabilities, and minority health organizations.    

“Although we’re still reviewing the language, everything we’ve seen so far  indicates that the CER provisions in the Senate bill are focused on patient and provider needs and include many of the safeguards the people in our community have been looking for," PIPC chairman and epilepsy patient Tony Coelho said.  “The legislative process is never an easy one, but we’re glad that Senator Reid has kept the spirit of Senator Baucus’s comparative effectiveness research language intact.  Treatment decisions must always remain between a patient and his or her health care provider, and PIPC believes that everyone can benefit from a strong patient-centered approach to CER.  PIPC looks forward to continuing to work with lawmakers to ensure CER is about supporting patients and providers in making good health care choices, and not about dictating those choices to them through centralized coverage policies or mandatory ‘best practices.’”

Mr. Coelho continued, “The most important stakeholder in health care is the patient.  This bill provides a sound framework for independent, sustained, and objective research that is focused on the needs of patients. By creating an independent research institute – outside of the government – and including significant patient safeguards, the CER provisions will ensure that relevant, credible data is available to patients and their healthcare providers, and help ensure that information is used to inform treatment options, not limit them.”

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act includes a number of provisions to ensure that CER is used to benefit the needs of patients.  It would create an independent institute governed by patients, providers, government officials and other stakeholders and it further strengthens safeguards to protect patient access to the treatment options they need.  The compromise bill also incorporates language, authored by Senator Mikulski, that ensures this information is disseminated in a manner that is understood by patients.  It expands patient safeguards, including a focus on clinical effectiveness research, not cost-effectiveness; and includes safeguards to ensure that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will not misuse CER results in ways that overlook differences in patient needs or discriminate against the elderly or people with disabilities.

About PIPC
The Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) was formed in November 2008 to support new comparative effectiveness research proposals that are centered on patient and provider needs; raise awareness about the value of well-designed CER; and promote the important role of continued medical innovation as part of the solution to cost and quality challenges in health care. PIPC members include a wide range of healthcare organizations representing patient, provider and industry advocacy groups.