Media Advisory Date: October 17, 1997
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) announces the first set of topics it has assigned to its 12 Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs). The EPCs will systematically review the relevant scientific literature about these topics, conducting additional analyses, if appropriate. Their findings will be published as evidence reports or technology assessments, which will form the basis of other organizations' guidelines, quality improvement projects, and purchasing decisions.
"These state-of-the-science reports and technology assessments, once distributed, will help reduce inappropriate variations in medical care and improve the overall quality of the health care system," said AHCPR Administrator John M. Eisenberg, M.D. The EPCs will be conducting their research through partnerships and collaborations with managed care organizations, medical specialty societies, federal purchasers, and others. "In this way, we ensure that the EPC products will be appropriate and useful as soon as they are completed," said Douglas Kamerow, M.D., M.P.H., who oversees AHCPR's Evidence-based Practice Program.
First Topics Assigned to the EPCs
For additional information, contact AHCPR Public Affairs: Salina M. Prasad, (301) 427-1864 (SPrasad@ahrq.gov).
Internet Citation:
AHCPR Announces First Evidence Report Topics. Press Release, October 17, 1997. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/press/epctoppr.htm