ECRI Institute Awarded Evidence-based Practice Center Designation from AHRQ

Academic partnership with Penn Medicine secures five-year contract to synthesize research evidence on the effectiveness of health technologies

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., Sept. 18, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- ECRI Institute, an independent nonprofit that researches the best approaches to improving patient care, has been designated to serve as one of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC) for the next five years.

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ECRI Institute has served as a center since the inception of the program in 1997. Under this new contract, known as EPC 4, ECRI Institute partnered with Penn Medicine (the University of Pennsylvania Health System and the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine); two woman-owned Small Disadvantaged Businesses (Provider Resources Inc. and Insight Policy Research); and a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (Duty First Consulting).

The new ECRI Institute-Penn Medicine EPC will work with clinicians, policymakers, patients, and consumers to develop topics and questions for systematic review of the literature; and promote the synthesis and translation of research evidence. The contract runs through 2017.

"We are pleased and honored to hold the trust of AHRQ and the healthcare system more broadly in advancing the science of systematic review to assess the effectiveness of healthcare interventions and practices based on outcomes that matter to patients," says Karen Schoelles, MD, SM, director of the ECRI Institute-Penn Medicine EPC.

"The combined strength of ECRI Institute's independent research and Penn Medicine's clinical and academic leadership will enable us to pursue diverse opportunities for healthcare improvement," says Craig A. Umscheid, MD, MS, director of the Penn Medicine Center for Evidence-based Practice, and Senior Associate Director of the newly formed ECRI Institute-Penn Medicine EPC. "We believe our partnership sets a high standard for advancing healthcare research and patient care."

"The need for rigorous evidence-based research on new and emerging technologies, procedures, and services will continue to grow, and we will support this important priority," says Vivian Coates, vice president of information services and health technology assessment, ECRI Institute.

To learn more about ECRI Institute's work in evaluating health technologies through the Evidence-based Practice Center, membership in the Health Technology Assessment Information Service, or customized consultation and support for clinical practice guideline development, e-mail [email protected], call (610) 825-6000, ext. 5519, or write to 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-1298, USA.

About ECRI Institute
ECRI Institute (www.ecri.org), a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to discover which medical procedures, devices, drugs, and processes are best to enable improved patient care. As pioneers in this science for nearly 45 years, ECRI Institute marries experience and independence with the objectivity of evidence-based research. Strict conflict-of-interest guidelines  ensure objectivity. ECRI Institute is designated an Evidence-based Practice Center by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. ECRI Institute PSO is listed as a federally certified Patient Safety Organization by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Find ECRI Institute on Facebook (www.facebook.com/ECRIInstitute) and on Twitter (www.twitter.com/ECRI_Institute).

SOURCE ECRI Institute