PIPC Chairman Tony Coelho said the following:
“PCORI has taken some important steps in setting research priorities. However, the proposed approach must be improved in several key areas in order to meet the goal of patient-centered CER. First, PCORI must identify the specific topics and research questions it proposes as priorities, so that the patient and provider communities can help them get to the questions that matter most. Second, they must provide additional opportunities for public input and more time to consider the input. For example, providing only thirty days between the end of the comment period and issuing a final policy simply is not enough time. Finally, as we have said in prior comments, PCORI’s research agenda must be focused exclusively on patient health outcomes. References to cost as part of the research agenda should be deleted.
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 PIPCpatients.org.