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Press Release: October 9, 2007 hyperlink

The Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) today announced the 14 institutions that will comprise the third iteration of its Evidence-Based Practice Centers (EPC) program.

AHRQ's EPCs conduct research syntheses and analyses of the scientific literature on clinical and other health care delivery issues and produce reports and technology assessments on the evidence. The resulting reports are used by Federal and State agencies, private-sector professional societies, health delivery systems, providers, payers, and others committed to evidence-based health care. Since the program was created in 1997, the EPCs have produced and published nearly 200 evidence reports on a variety of health care topics.

"The EPC program has risen to the challenge of harnessing the research data and making it relevant for decisionmakers in the health care arena," said AHRQ Director Carolyn M. Clancy, M.D. "The reports generated from the program continue to provide meaningful information to clinicians, patients, and others so they can make better informed health care decisions."

The EPCs will develop reports of the scientific literature in the following focus areas:

  • U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, where they will conduct systematic reviews of the evidence on specific topics in clinical prevention and provide technical support that will serve as the scientific basis for Task Force recommendations.
  • AHRQ's Technology Assessment Program, where they will assess the clinical utility of medical interventions to assist the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services make informed decisions regarding its Medicare program.
  • The Generalist Program, for which they will continue producing numerous reports each year with private and Federal partners on a range of clinical, behavioral, economic, and health care delivery topics.
  • The Effective Health Care Program, for which they will provide high-quality, reliable data in the form of comparative effectiveness reviews to help patients, clinicians, and policymakers make the best health care decisions.
  • The Scientific Resource Center, through which they will provide scientific and methodologic technical support to the Generalist and Effective Health Care programs.

Of the 14 5-year contracts awarded, the University of Connecticut and Vanderbilt are new to the EPC program. The EPCs and their directors are as follows:

  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Technology Evaluation Center; Naomi Aronson, Ph.D.
  • Duke University; Douglas C. McCrory, M.D.
  • ECRI Institute; Karen M. Schoelles, M.D., S.M.
  • Johns Hopkins University; Eric B. Bass, M.D., M.P.H.
  • McMaster University; Parminder Raina, Ph.
  • Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association Technology Evaluation Center; Naomi Aronson, Ph.D.
  • Duke University; Douglas C. McCrory, M.D.
  • ECRI Institute; Karen M. Schoelles, M.D., S.M.
  • Johns Hopkins University; Eric B. Bass, M.D., M.P.H.
  • McMaster University; Parminder Raina, Ph.D.
  • New England Medical Center Hospitals; Joseph Lau, M.D.
  • Oregon Health & Science University; Mark Helfand, M.D., M.S., M.P.H.
  • RAND Corporation; Paul Shekelle, M.D., Ph.D.
  • RTI International; Meera Viswanathan, Ph.D.
  • University of Alberta; Terry P. Klassen, M.D., M.Sc., and Brian Rowe, M.D., M.Sc.
  • University of Connecticut, C. Michael White, Pharm.D.
  • University of Minnesota; Robert L. Kane, M.D. and Timothy J. Wilt, M.D., M.P.H.
  • University of Ottawa, David Moher, Ph.D.
  • Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Katherine Hartman, M.D., Ph.D.

For more about the Evidence-based Practice Center program, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epcix.htm.


Fall 2007

Ongoing Reviews

  • Comparative Effectiveness Review (CER): AHRQ MMA Review

  • Diagnosis & Treatment of Erectile Dysfunction (ED): Nominating Partner - American College of Physicians.

  • Management of Febrile Infants 0 to 3 months: Nominating Partner – American Academy of PediatricsUpdating Systematic Reviews:

Recently Completed Projects

  • Cranney A, Horsley T, O’Donnell S, Weiler HA, Puil L, Ooi DS, Atkinson SA, Ward LM, Moher D, Hanley DA, Fang M, Yazdi F, Garritty C, Sampson M, Barrowman N, Tsertsvadze A, Mamaladze V. Effectiveness and Safety of Vitamin D in Relation to Bone Health. Evidence Report/Technology Assessment No. 158 (Prepared by the University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center (UO-EPC) under Contract No. 290-02-0021. AHRQ Publication No. 07-E013. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. August 2007.

  • Shojania KG, Sampson M, Ansari MT, Ji J, Garritty C, Rader T, Moher D. Updating Systematic Reviews. Technical Review No. 16. (Prepared by the University of Ottawa Evidence-based Practice Center under Contract No. 290-02-0017.) AHRQ Publication No. 07-0087. Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. September 2007.

New Publications

  • Sampson M, Shojania KG, McGowan J, Daniel R, Rader T, Iansavichene AE, et al. Surveillance search techniques identified the need to update a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology (Pending publication) 2007

  • Shojania KG, Sampson M, Ansari MT, Ji J, Doucette S, Moher D. How quickly do systematic reviews go out of date? A survival analysis. Ann Intern Med 2007 Aug 21;147(4):224-33.

  • Balk E, Horsley T, Newberry S, Lichtenstein A, Yetley E, Schachter H, Moher D, MacLean C, Lau J.  A collaborative effort to apply the evidence-based review process to the field of nutrition: challenges, benefits, and lessons learned.  Am J Clin Nutr 2007; 85(6): 1448.

  • Rostom A, Dubé C, Lewin G, Tsertsvadze A, Barrowman N, Code C, Sampson M, Moher D. Nonsteroidal Anti-inflammatory Drugs and Cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors for preimary prevention of colorectal cancer: a systematic review prepared for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine 2007;146:376-389.

  • Hodge W, Barnes D, Schachter H, Pan Y, Lowcock E, Zhang L, Sampson M, Morrison A, Tran K, Miguelez M, Lewin G. Evidence for the Effect of Omega-3 Fatty Acids on Progression of Age-related Macular Degeneration: A Systematic Review. Retina. 2007 Feb ;27 (2):216-221.

  • Dubé C, Rostom A, Lewin G, Tsertsvadze A, Barrowman N, Code C, Sampson M, Moher D. The use of Aspirin for primary prevention of colorectal cancer:  A Systematic Review prepared for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Annals of Internal Medicine. 2007;146:365-375.
 
 

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