Partnership to Improve Patient Care

WASHINGTON, July 8, 2009 – In response to the recent Federal Coordinating Council (FCC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) comparative effectiveness recommendations to Congress, Chairman of the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC), Tony Coelho, issued the following statement:

On behalf of the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC), I want to thank the Federal Coordinating Council (FCC) and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for their hard work and thoughtful recommendations to Congress on the issue of comparative effectiveness research (CER).

Their advice to strengthen comparative effectiveness research by focusing on minority and underrepresented populations and ensuring that information is widely disseminated to doctors and patients is especially important to members of underserved communities like African-Americans, Latinos, Asian-Americans, and the disabled. 

We also agree with the FCC that ongoing participation by all stakeholders is critical as CER is developed and that there be transparency in every step of the process, allowing enough time for public consideration and comment, from research design to its implementation and finally its dissemination.

We hope that the FCC and IOM continue to see the importance of CER in providing information to patients and providers, as well as the risks associated with using cost analysis associated with CER for treatment decisions.

Comparative effectiveness research is not about dictating what kind of care should be provided, it's about providing patients and doctors with the information they need to make the best medical decisions.

PIPC is encouraged with the ongoing efforts of Sens. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Kent Conrad (D-ND) and Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-OR) who have authored strong, patient-centered CER bills (S. 1213 and H.R. 2502) and we encourage lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to advance CER within their framework.

We look forward to working with Secretary Sibelius, the Federal Coordinating Council, other members of the Administration, and Members of Congress as they work through the legislative process.

About PIPC
The Partnership to Improve Patient Care 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. Partnership members include a wide range of healthcare organizations representing patient, provider and industry advocacy groups.