What's New
Announcement
Posted on 08.27.01
CERTs 1st Annual Partnership Program
By Leanne Madre
On March 1, 2001, the Centers for Education & Research on Therapeutics (CERTs) held a special program, "Partnerships to Optimize the Use of Therapeutics," on Capitol Hill.
Attendees included representatives of ~40 organizations interested in advancing the best use of therapeutics (drugs, medical devices, and biological products). Participating organizations included government agencies, health care providers, consumers, and insurers, among others. Several Congressional staff also attended to learn more about CERTs and the opportunity for collaboration to address this important issue.
The objectives of the program were to 1) "take the pulse" of major efforts to improve the use of therapeutics, and 2) build more effective partnerships to optimize the use of therapeutics. Dr. Hugh Tilson, chair of the CERTs Steering Committee, presided.
The program began with a panel presentation about CERTs: how the program was established, the progress made in its first year, and its vision for the future. (For reference, see the CERTs Year 1 Annual Report.) Next, participants presented information about their therapeutics initiatives. The program closed with an update about issues being addressed by Congress related to optimizing the use of therapeutics.
As a result of the meeting, the CERTs Coordinating Center created a registry of projects being pursued by the participating organizations that aim to optimize the use of therapeutics. The registry has several purposes:
- to serve as a resource of current and planned initiatives aimed at optimizing the use of therapeutics;
- to identify and aid in partnerships around these initiatives; and
- to provide a list of participating organizations and their priorities relative to the optimal use of therapeutics.
The registry will include the project list, organizational summaries, and models for public/private partnerships. The registry is under development and should be ready by fall 2001.
This program was an important first step in aiding collaborations that will improve the use of therapeutics, and we look forward to working with other organizations interested in this goal. The second annual Partnership program is being planned for March 2002. For more information about the next program or the registry, contact Kathleen Hoffman at the CERTs Coordinating Center.