ECRI Institute's Methodology Boot Camp Offers Practical Strategies for Evidence-based Decision Making

PLYMOUTH MEETING, Pa., April 10, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Which approaches are best for assessing new and emerging technologies that do not have established track records? What about technologies that are already widespread? ECRI Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to researching the best approaches to improving patient care, will answer these questions and more through its new interactive methodology workshop, "Evidence Boot Camp: Understanding Health Technology Assessment Methodologies."

ECRI Institute's boot camp will be held May 13-14 at its suburban Philadelphia headquarters and will investigate the approaches used today by payers, providers, policy makers, and others to make more informed evidence-based decisions. The two-day educational program is designed for professionals from health plans, hospital and health systems, medical device or pharmaceutical companies, and clinical specialty societies.

"Evidence-based research is gaining traction as hospitals and health plans focus on value-based decision making. Our research experts will ensure that workshop participants are up to speed on critically examining the evidence—regardless of whether it's abundant or sparse—and applying it to their decision making processes," says Vivian H. Coates, vice president, information services and health technology assessment, ECRI Institute.

Some of the key objectives of the workshop include:

• Learning state-of-the-art methods of health technology assessment
• Formulating appropriate patient-oriented key questions
• Searching the world's clinical literature
• Assessing risk of bias and assigning evidence ratings
• Applying the best available evidence to decision making in the absence of optimal evidence
• Implementing evidence at local levels for value analysis and medical policy making

"Through this 'behind-the-scenes' workshop, attendees will gain insight into how objective health technology assessment organizations analyze evidence and its quality," says Karen Schoelles, MD, SM, FACP, director, Evidence-based Practice Center, ECRI Institute. "Staff from ECRI Institute will be joined by presenters from health plans and hospitals in discussing case studies, and all participants will join in discussions on how they use evidence to make decisions about healthcare interventions."

Participants will also have the option to tour ECRI Institute's laboratories and research facilities.

ECRI Institute is designated by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) as an Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC), and was selected by the agency to develop, implement, and maintain the nation's first Healthcare Horizon Scanning System.

This live activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the Essential Areas and Policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME). ECRI Institute is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians. ECRI Institute designates this live activity for a maximum of 9 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.  Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. This activity has been approved for 10.5 California State Nursing contact hours by the provider, Debora Simmons, who is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing, Provider Number CEP 13677.

Members of ECRI Institute's Health Technology Assessment Information Service (HTAIS) program can attend at no cost as part of their membership benefits, but they must register in advance. There is no limit on the number of individuals that can attend from a member organization. For a limited time, members of ECRI Institute's SELECTplus, PriceGuide, Health Devices, or Patient Safety Organization, and employees of government or nonprofit agencies, can register for $495. Nonmembers can register for $795. These offers expire April 15.

To learn more, or to register for this web conference, visit www.ecri.org/htabootcamp or contact ECRI Institute by e-mail at [email protected]; by telephone at (610) 825-6000, ext. 5889; by fax at (610) 834-0240; or by mail at 5200 Butler Pike, Plymouth Meeting, PA 19462-1298, USA.

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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 more than 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).

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SOURCE ECRI Institute