The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has awarded 13 new 5-year contracts to continue and expand the work performed by the first group of Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs). Most institutions in the second group of EPCs were part of the initial set, but three institutions are new to the program.
These EPCs will continue to perform methodologically rigorous systematic reviews and analyses of scientific literature on clinical and behavioral topics, as well as organizational and financing systems related to health care and health care delivery. The resulting evidence reports and technology assessments will be used by Federal and State Agencies, private-sector professional societies, health delivery systems, providers, payers, and others committed to evidence-based health care.
In addition, the EPCs will update prior evidence reports; provide technical assistance to professional organizations, employers, providers, policymakers, and others to facilitate translation of the reports into quality improvement tools, evidence-based curricula, and reimbursement policies; and undertake methods research.
The newly funded EPCs are:
Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Technology Evaluation Center EPC
Chicago, IL
Naomi Aronson, Ph.D., Director
Duke University EPC
Durham, NC
David Matchar, M.D., F.A.C.P., Director
ECRI EPC
Plymouth Meeting, PA
Charles Turkelson, Ph.D., Director
Johns Hopkins University EPC
Baltimore, MD
Eric Bass, M.D., M.P.H., Director
McMaster University EPC
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Parminder Raina, Ph.D., Director
New England Medial Center EPC
Boston, MA
Joseph Lau, M.D., Director
Oregon Health & Science University EPC
Portland, OR
Mark Helfand, M.D., M.P.H., Director
RAND EPC
Santa Monica, CA
Paul Shekelle, M.D., Ph.D., Director
Research Triangle Institute-University of North Carolina EPC
Research Triangle Park, NC
Kathleen Lohr, Ph.D., Director
Stanford University-University of California, San Francisco EPC
Stanford, CA
Douglas Owens, M.D., M.S., Director
University of Alberta EPC (new)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Terry Klassen, M.D., M.Sc., FRCPC, Director
University of Minnesota EPC (new)
Minneapolis, MN
Robert Kane, M.D., Director
University of Ottawa EPC (new)
Ottawa, Canada
David Moher, M.Sc., Director
Editor's Note: Evidence reports and summaries on more than 50 topics previously prepared by the EPCs and published by AHRQ are available from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse and are also available online.
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