Kevin Pho, a primary care physician and health/medical blogger, recently mentioned AARP's Bill Novelli in an op-ed he wrote for USA Today all about comparative effectiveness research.
In the op-ed, Dr. Pho answers questions like, "How will it help patients? What are some of the obstacles that may impede the initiative? And, should it be modeled after the US Preventive Services Task Force?" Many elected officials and comparative effectiveness research nay-sayers wonder if doctors find any value in something like this...and they clearly do.
Pho goes on to say:
"As a primary care doctor, I am frequently faced with decisions where the choice is not always clear. Do the latest, more expensive drugs work better than the less costly, older medicat ions? Will ordering an MRI help me treat a patient's lower back pain? Often, the answer to these questions is, "I'm not sure."With new drugs and technologies being introduced regularly, doctors face an increasing array of diagnostic and treatment choices. We need to realize that the latest isn't always the best, and by using data from comparative effectiveness research, physicians can provide the best care for their patients."
We're glad to hear doctors being vocal about how beneficial comparative effectiveness research can be to them, and their patients. As Dr. Pho noted, AARP has been vocal on this issue for some time now (thanks for the shout out!) and we don't plan on letting this one go anytime soon.
Kevin's blog can be found here.
