Last week, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute’s (PCORI) Board of Governors held a meeting in Washington, D.C., to discuss the importance of patient centered comparative effectiveness research (CER) – also called outcomes research. Several PIPC members were in attendance, including PIPC Chairman Tony Coelho.
The main topic of discussion was the role that physicians and other providers will play in the future of CER and keeping the research patient centered. In addition, those present at the meeting offered up suggestions for steps to take in order to ensure providers are engaged in PCORI's work, and the recommended changes to PCORI's draft definition of “patient-centered outcomes research.”
Coelho, who has supported PCORI since before the Affordable Care Act’s passage, reinforced this support at the board’s recent meeting, saying that “PCORI is pivotal in the comparative effectiveness research process. It helps not only maintain the integrity of the CER testing process, it also ensures that the patient and caregiver perspective is clearly understood and represented.” He later went on to say that “the Board’s discussion today surrounding the determination of a definition for patient-centered outcomes research was crucial in solidifying the purpose and mission of both CER and its governing board. In bringing the definition to the forefront of the discussion, the Board of Governors efforts, with the help of the public commentators, were able to successfully address many of the issues at hand, as well as, begin the formation of a necessary coalition between the doctors, patients and PCORI board.”
In addition to attending the PCORI Board meeting this week, Chairman Coelho penned an article in The Hill on the subject of patient centered CER and its overall impact on the health care system. The article highlighted how the PCORI Board was created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in order to protect CER from becoming a tool used to ration health care. He noted that the board is entirely responsible for ensuring that CER “delivers objective, credible research through an open, transparent process that is centered on the needs of the patients and those who care for them.”
The next Board of Governors’ meeting will be held in Seattle on September 19-20.
Coelho, who has supported PCORI since before the Affordable Care Act’s passage, reinforced this support at the board’s recent meeting, saying that “PCORI is pivotal in the comparative effectiveness research process. It helps not only maintain the integrity of the CER testing process, it also ensures that the patient and caregiver perspective is clearly understood and represented.” He later went on to say that “the Board’s discussion today surrounding the determination of a definition for patient-centered outcomes research was crucial in solidifying the purpose and mission of both CER and its governing board. In bringing the definition to the forefront of the discussion, the Board of Governors efforts, with the help of the public commentators, were able to successfully address many of the issues at hand, as well as, begin the formation of a necessary coalition between the doctors, patients and PCORI board.”
In addition to attending the PCORI Board meeting this week, Chairman Coelho penned an article in The Hill on the subject of patient centered CER and its overall impact on the health care system. The article highlighted how the PCORI Board was created under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in order to protect CER from becoming a tool used to ration health care. He noted that the board is entirely responsible for ensuring that CER “delivers objective, credible research through an open, transparent process that is centered on the needs of the patients and those who care for them.”
The next Board of Governors’ meeting will be held in Seattle on September 19-20.
