The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report yesterday entitled, “Comparative Effectiveness Research: HHS Needs to Strengthen Dissemination and Data-Capacity-Building Efforts.” The Chairman of the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC), former Congressman Tony Coelho, provided the following response to the report’s findings and recommendations:
“PIPC is pleased that GAO has evaluated some of the key issues in HHS’ use of comparative effectiveness research (CER) funds, particularly related to dissemination of research findings. The report highlights some of the same issues that PIPC has identified with AHRQ's CER dissemination activities, and the critical need for the agency to establish a strategic plan, standards, and procedures to advance new, patient-centered approaches to CER dissemination.
“PIPC is pleased that GAO has evaluated some of the key issues in HHS’ use of comparative effectiveness research (CER) funds, particularly related to dissemination of research findings. The report highlights some of the same issues that PIPC has identified with AHRQ's CER dissemination activities, and the critical need for the agency to establish a strategic plan, standards, and procedures to advance new, patient-centered approaches to CER dissemination.
In a White Paper developed by PIPC in October 2013, we highlighted that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) appeared to be using funds from the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund to support its existing dissemination programs, rather than defining new, more effective programs for communicating results to patients and clinicians. PIPC convened a roundtable with patient representatives and clinicians in June, 2014, where participants raised significant concerns about the quality of the information going into AHRQ’s decisions aids, and AHRQ’s effectiveness in disseminating those decision aids into the community. In addition, the PIPC roundtable participants strongly recommended that AHRQ use PCOR Trust fund dollars to test dissemination strategies that differ from their existing comparative effectiveness program so that they address the patient-centered principles outlined in their statutory guidance and better engage the communities that benefit from the information provided. PIPC is hopeful that the GAO report will provide impetus for implementation of some of these recommendations, such as creation of standards for patient-centeredness in CER dissemination, and establishment of a patient and clinician advisory committee and other mechanisms to gain input from patients throughout the process. The time is now to move beyond conventional, one-size-fits-all dissemination strategies and adopt new approaches that allow patients and clinicians to be engaged as advisors to disseminate specific information, and to be partners in tailoring and presenting it in a useable manner. PIPC looks forward to being engaged in an effort to do something different so that our healthcare system empowers patients in their own health care decisions, as was the intent of the statute."