Partnership to Improve Patient Care

President Obama signs off on reform that ensures proper use of comparative effectiveness research

WASHINGTON, DC – The Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC) applauded President Obama's signing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which includes provisions creating a new program for patient-centered comparative effectiveness research. 

“The Partnership to Improve Patient Care has been working for over a year in support of patient-centered CER, and we’re very happy to see it included in the final health care reform bill,” PIPC chairman Tony Coelho said.  "Every body is different, so it's critical that CER reflect these differences. This legislation will help ensure that CER is used to help doctors and patients make the best treatment decisions possible, and not to set coverage guidelines. 

“Achieving patient-centered CER is the result of a lot of hard work in Congress, the Administration, and the broader health care community,” Coelho said. He noted that the final bill is consistent with the principles for patient-centered CER adopted and released by PIPC in 2008.  The bill will create an independent Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a non government entity that will establish research priorities, fund comparative clinical effectiveness research, and communicate results to the public. The measure also includes strong requirements for openness, transparency, and scientific integrity, as well as patient protections against misuse of research results by policymakers. 

Comparative effectiveness research evaluates and compares the implications and outcomes of health care strategies to address a particular medical condition. CER can be a valuable asset to physicians and patients by enabling them to consider available scientific evidence, along with the individual patient’s unique needs and preferences, in providing the best care for each patient. 

PIPC will work with other stakeholders in the health care community to advance patient-centered CER through the implementation of this important program in the coming months. 

About PIPC
The Partnership to Improve Patient Care was formed in November 2008 to support proposals to expand the government’s role in comparative effectiveness research 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. Partnership members include a wide range of health care organizations representing patient, provider and industry advocacy groups. 

To learn more about PIPC, visit http://www.improvepatientcare.org.

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