By wading around in the rather large USPSTF site, most of our questions about the way the panel came to their conclusions can be answered.
"The USPSTF is supported by an
Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC). Under contract to AHRQ, the EPC conducts systematic reviews of the evidence on specific topics in clinical prevention that serve as the scientific basis for USPSTF recommendations"
If you click the link to the EPC mentioned above you get this list of contracted "centers" that provide various types if information:
You Are Here: AHRQ Home >
Clinical Information >
Evidence-based Practice > EPC Program
Evidence-based Practice Centers
Synthesizing scientific evidence to improve
quality and effectiveness in health care
Under the Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPC) Program of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research—AHCPR), 5-year contracts are awarded to institutions in the United States and Canada to serve as EPCs. The EPCs review all relevant scientific literature on clinical, behavioral, and organization and financing topics to produce evidence reports and technology assessments. These reports are used for informing and developing coverage decisions, quality measures, educational materials and tools, guidelines, and research agendas. The EPCs also conduct research on methodology of systematic reviews.
Overview
In 1997 the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), now known as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), launched its initiative to promote evidence-based practice in everyday care through establishment of 12 Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs). The EPCs develop evidence reports and technology assessments on topics relevant to clinical, social science/behavioral, economic, and other health care organization and delivery issues—specifically those that are common, expensive, and/or significant for the Medicare and Medicaid populations. With this program, AHRQ became a "science partner" with private and public organizations in their efforts to improve the quality, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health care by synthesizing the evidence and facilitating the translation of evidence-based research findings. Topics are nominated by non-federal partners such as professional societies, health plans, insurers, employers, and patient groups. Go to
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/epc/epctopicn.htm for topic nomination procedures. Federal partners often request evidence reports and should contact the EPC Program Director for more information.
For details on the EPC program for current and potential partner organizations, go to the
EPC Partner's Guide.
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Centers
In October 2007, AHRQ announced the third award of 5-year contracts for EPC-III to 14 Evidence-based Practice Centers to continue and expand the work performed by the previous group of EPCs. Most of the third group of EPCs were part of the initial set. However, EPC-III brings in two new institutions to the program-the University of Connecticut and Vanderbilt University--while Stanford has concluded its contract as one of the original EPCs.
Five of the EPCs specialize in conducting technology assessments for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Go to:
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/techix.htm for more information.
One EPC concentrates on supporting the work of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Go to:
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm for more information.
The current EPCs are located at:
- Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Technology Evaluation Center. .
- Duke University.1
- ECRI Institute.1
- Johns Hopkins University.
- McMaster University.
- Minnesota Evidence-based Practice Center.
- Oregon Evidence-based Practice Center.2
- RTI International—University of North Carolina.
- Southern California.
- Tufts—New England Medical Center.1
- University of Alberta.1
- University of Connecticut.
- University of Ottawa.
- Vanderbilt University."
You can further read about "report development.
MOST IMPORTANT is the at the end of that section, is this statement on what will be done with the findings (emphasis mine):
"The resulting evidence reports and technology assessments are used by Federal and State agencies, private sector professional societies, health delivery systems, providers, payers, and others committed to evidence-based health care."
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