{"id":100355,"date":"2015-02-11T09:25:16","date_gmt":"2015-02-11T14:25:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=100355"},"modified":"2015-10-20T12:48:30","modified_gmt":"2015-10-20T16:48:30","slug":"uconn-designated-as-federal-health-care-study-center","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2015\/02\/uconn-designated-as-federal-health-care-study-center\/","title":{"rendered":"UConn Designated as Federal Health Care Study Center"},"content":{"rendered":"

In today\u2019s high pressure health care environment, doctors, pharmacists, insurers, and others must constantly scan the latest medical news in order to stay abreast of the most effective treatments.<\/p>\n

But there are so many medical studies in circulation that it is practically impossible for health care professionals to review all of the material with a critical eye to determine whether a more effective drug, surgical procedure, or medical device is indeed in the offing.<\/p>\n

At the University of Connecticut, a multidisciplinary team lead by two veteran pharmaceutical researchers is stepping up to help health care professionals make more informed decisions by sifting through the latest research in order to recommend the best treatment options based on a strict analysis of the scientific evidence.<\/p>\n

In recognition of the team\u2019s clinical expertise, UConn was recently awarded a 5-year contract to serve as one of 13 Evidence-based Practice Centers supported by the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.<\/p>\n

The designation is highly competitive and only a select few institutions are given the honor. Some of the other centers currently operating in the U.S. are overseen by Duke University, Brown University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Mayo Clinic.<\/p>\n

Reports produced by evidence-based practice centers around the country are used by the federal Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services in making health coverage decisions that affect millions of patients nationwide. National medical, nursing, and pharmacy organizations also use the reports to set guidelines for treatment and care.<\/p>\n

\"C.<\/a>
C. Michael White, professor and head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThere are so many studies published each month that a doctor or health insurer would have to read for hours a week just to keep current,\u201d says Professor C. Michael White, head of the Department of Pharmacy Practice in UConn\u2019s School of Pharmacy and co-director of the new evidence-based practice center.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn top of that, sometimes there are conflicting studies that are more applicable to one population than another and other nuances that would be difficult for clinicians or payers to pick up on.\u201d<\/p>\n

The studies performed at UConn will assess the safety and effectiveness of a drug, surgical device, medical procedure, or other intervention in order to determine its benefits and risks of harm. Investigators will conduct systemic reviews and meta-analysis of all the available scientific studies and compare different types of therapies to determine the most optimal treatments. Their conclusions will be based on the studies\u2019 strengths, methodology, scientific evidence, and how applicable the results are for targeted patients. The studies will not consider the costs of treatments and team analysts are carefully screened to avoid conflicts of interest.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur reports are very unique in that we look at the totality of all the literature, not just this one study you may be familiar with or this other study that has received some attention,\u201d says White. \u201cWe then review all of that data to answer the important questions people want answered in the health care system \u2013 not just whether something works, but the balance of benefits to harm and whether it is best for a targeted patient population.\u201d<\/p>\n

White, along with the center\u2019s other co-director, Professor Craig Coleman<\/a> from the School of Pharmacy, have years of experience conducting reviews for the AHRQ having led a previous UConn evidenced-based practice center that was under federal contract from 2008 to 2012. The center lost funding due to federal budget cuts, but recently reorganized and received a new 5-year contract through a new umbrella collaborative known as UConn HOPES<\/a>, which stands for Health Outcomes, Policy, and Evidence Synthesis Group.<\/p>\n

In prior years, UConn\u2019s evidence-based practice center produced some of the most widely read health reports in the country. The center\u2019s reports have appeared in such prestigious journals as JAMA, The Lancet, Annals of Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and the American Journal of Medicine<\/em>. UConn\u2019s studies have been reported by numerous national media outlets including NBC Nightly News, Good Morning America, National Public Radio and the Associated Press.<\/p>\n

UConn HOPES includes a broad representation of UConn faculty with diverse backgrounds including pharmacy, nursing, medicine, psychology, statistics and others.<\/p>\n

The center\u2019s Associate Director is Blair Johnson<\/a> from the Department of Psychology and Dr. Lori Bastian<\/a> from the School of Medicine serves as medical director. Christopher Rhoads<\/a> from the Neag School of Education is the chief statistician while Diana Sobieraj<\/a>, William Baker<\/a> from the School of Pharmacy, and Dr. Thomas Van Hoof<\/a> from the School of Nursing will conduct investigations. HOPES is a subsidiary of UConn\u2019s Center for Health, Intervention, and Prevention or CHIP<\/a> and its members are all affiliates.<\/p>\n

“CHIP is dedicated to supporting its research faculty both individually and collaboratively with others who hold complimentary expertise,” said CHIP Director Jeff Fisher, a Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Psychology. “The HOPES group is an exemplar of the power of inter-professional and interdepartmental collaboration and having the EPC back at UConn is a powerful marker of that success.”<\/p>\n

Some of the center\u2019s past reports created controversy among various interest groups such as large pharmaceutical companies and patient advocacy groups. But Coleman said such reaction is to be expected given the often volatile nature of the issues under review.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese reports are issued in a highly political environment,\u201d says Coleman. \u201cThere is no report that will come out that all the vested interests are going to be happy with and the response we receive underscores the tremendous impact these reports can have on the health care system.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previous studies conducted by the center\u2019s research staff examined:<\/p>\n