About CERTs
Annual Report Year 4
AHRQ Letter | Steering Committee Letter | Introduction | CERTs Progress | Certs Program Resources | Certs Parnerships and Collaborations | Conclusion | The CERTs Organization | Principles of CERTs Public-Private Partnerships | Peer-Reviewed Publications
Letter from the Steering Committee
Dear Fellow Citizens:
We are pleased to report the results of this year's work to answer questions about and provide strategies to foster better use of drugs and other therapies to improve the nation's health. Since our last report, more than 100 additional projects have been launched that will further inform consumers, health care providers, and other decision makers about therapies and how to use them effectively and safely and that will build the systems in which these practices can function even better.
Our health care system produces great benefits to people every day. But we know it can be improved. There is still much to learn about drug interactions for patients who need treatment for multiple conditions. We need to understand how to best use technology to help health care providers ensure that patients receive the right drug at the right dose at the right time. Through our CERTs research and education, we have the ability to narrow the gap between what we know and what we do to provide better care.
Finding answers is only a first step. Making sure that health care providers, policymakers, and patients are aware of the results is equally important. The CERTs, in collaboration with many agencies and organizations, seek to address both parts of this equation.
This is a long-term commitment that will take considerable time and resources. Still, even in the short time we have been working on these tasks, we have made tangible progress. We still conduct research to improve treatments for specific diseases and work to assure that research findings are translated into clinical practice. In addition, we undertake projects to address the evolving needs of the health care system, such as evaluating the use of electronic prescription systems and other technology to reduce medical errors and save time.
This past year, as you will see in the pages that follow, we have built on our tradition of successful collaboration. Many individuals in universities, government agencies, managed-care organizations, drug and device companies, as well as practitioners and others, have been critical to our progress. Such collaborations allow us to respond quickly and judiciously to emerging health care needs. We thank them here for their strong support, partnership, and considerable contributions.
While the CERTs and our partners have together made significant progress, many challenges remain. We are committed to meeting those challenges in the years ahead and look forward to working with many of you to help ensure that Americans will benefit.
— Hugh Tilson, MD, DrPH
Chair, on behalf of the CERTs Steering Committee:
- Lynn A. Bosco, MD, MPH; M. Miles Braun, MD, MPH;
- Robert M. Califf, MD; William H. Campbell, PhD;
- Lisa C. Egbuonu-Davis, MD; Linda F. Golodner;
- James G. Kotsanos, MD, MS; Judith M. Kramer, MD, MS;
- Richard Platt, MD, MS; Wayne A. Ray, PhD;
- Kenneth G. Saag, MD, MSc; Marcel E. Salive, MD, MPH;
- Alan D. Stiles, MD; Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH;
- Karen Williams; Raymond L. Woosley, MD, PhD