PIPC chairman encourages racial, ethnic minority Americans to get involved in CER studies

The chairman of the Partnership to Improve Patient Care (PIPC), Tony Coelho, encouraged racial and ethnic minority Americans to get more involved in comparative effectiveness research (CER) studies as a way to ensure that African Americans and other people of color have access to the latest treatment options and research available. He also called on the research community to look at ways to include all Americans in their work.

“We believe that good, patient-centered comparative effectiveness research can actually help achieve health equity and justice”

"We believe that good, patient-centered comparative effectiveness research can actually help achieve health equity and justice," Mr. Coelho said. "Over the past several generations there has been a lot of well-earned speculation and lack of trust. So the research community needs to be extra-diligent and empathetic to the concerns of minority populations. Researchers must also make participating in medical studies easier for members of minority populations by looking at logistics like transportation issues. And they must ensure that potential minority participants are informed of the study and work to include them."

Supporting the participation of racial and ethnic minority Americans in comparative effectiveness research is only one step in ensuring that CER achieves its potential in improving patient care and reducing health disparities, Mr. Coelho added. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act creates a solid foundation for achieving this goals through CER provisions that create an independent research Institute with broad representation from the patient and provider communities, as well as recognition of patient differences, and a research agenda that includes aspects of the health delivery system that can contribution to disparities.

Mr. Coelho made his remarks earlier today at the joint 2010 CBC Spring Health Braintrust and Seventh Annual Health Disparities Leadership Summit, which is sponsored by the National Minority Quality Forum in collaboration with the Congressional Black Caucus Braintrust.

He also said that PIPC supports government efforts to recruit more minority participants into medical research studies, and specifically the more than $3 million that was awarded this year to get more minority participation in cancer studies.

Comparative effectiveness research evaluates and compares the implications and outcomes of health care strategies to address a particular medical condition. CER can be a valuable asset to physicians and patients by enabling them to consider available scientific evidence, along with the individual patient's unique needs and preferences, in providing the best care for each patient.