By Steven P. Schmidt, PhD
As conversations regarding health care reform grow more intense, the term “Comparative Effectiveness Research” (CER) has been added to our vocabulary – seemingly almost overnight. $1.1 billion in funding was allocated to fund CER in the recently passed federal economic recovery package. The purpose of this CER is “to conduct, support, or synthesize research that compares the clinical outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of items, services, and procedures that are used to prevent, diagnose, or treat diseases, disorders, and other health conditions” (ARRA, supra, Title VIII, Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality). CER is just what the words suggest: research that analyzes groups of patients to identify associations between treatments, and care strategies upon patient outcomes. Some experts suggest that evidence for the best therapies or care strategies exists for only 10-20% of the conditions treated. This means there is a desperate need for evidenced-based strategies for 80% of the patients that we care for. Our research agenda at Summa is positioning Summa Health System to be a leader in Comparative Effectiveness Research. A group of stakeholders has been meeting regularly to craft a mission and vision for a Center for Comparative Effectiveness and Care Delivery Research at Summa which would be a centerpiece of our research programs. These meetings include representatives from our academic partners and ABIA so that we are designing a program incorporating rigorous scholarship as well as community focus in this work. Look for the formal unveiling of this Center later this Fall.
It is anticipated that one of the key research focus areas in Summa’s Center for Comparative Effectiveness and Care Delivery Research will be geriatrics research. In reality, Summa’s Health Services Research & Education Institute (HSREI), under the direction of Kyle Allen, DO, has been conducting CER for over a decade. The work of Dr. Allen and his colleagues has brought Summa national acclaim and resulted in care management decisions that have improved patient outcomes and have saved millions of health care dollars. In this issue of the Informed Investigator, Terry Albanese, PhD, describes one of the many success stories of HSREI – the creation of the Interdisciplinary Consortium on Aging Research and Education (ICARE) – an interdisciplinary network of partners that focuses upon geriatric research and education. Dr. Albanese describes several of the ongoing ICARE initiatives – each an excellent illustration of CER. Congratulations to the HSREI program for positioning Summa well ahead of the curve in CER.
Any finally, we are delighted to welcome Catherine Horrigan, JD, to the team in the Office of Research Administration. Catherine is the new Director of Research Integrity and Technology Management and will lead our work in research compliance and technology capture and management.