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NCCN Will Convene National Policy Summit on Comparative Effectiveness in Cancer Care

Posted on: Wednesday, 22 July 2009, 07:00 CDT

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is developing a methodology for the evaluation and application of the Comparative Effectiveness of health care technologies in cancer care. This work will culminate with the NCCN National Policy Summit on Comparative Effectiveness in Cancer Care to be held in December 2009

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., July 22 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) is an alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers dedicated to improving the effectiveness and efficiency of care for patients with cancer. NCCN recognizes the need for the oncology community to take the lead in asserting the appropriate application of Comparative Effectiveness analysis in a policy setting. To address this need, NCCN has convened a group of expert clinicians, methodologists, patient advocates, and payors to make recommendations regarding the appropriate use of Comparative Effectiveness in oncology.

"It is past time that expert clinicians who see patients every day and who are dedicated to providing effective and efficient care determine the direction for a process of Comparative Effectiveness that will significantly impact the options available to patients with cancer," says William T. McGivney, Ph.D., CEO of NCCN.

"NCCN believes that the primary objective of Comparative Effectiveness should be to improve patient outcomes while enhancing efficiency. As leaders in guideline development, NCCN has the unique ability to apply our tremendous expertise in collaboration with other constituencies to establish recommendations that clinicians will support," says Al. B. Benson, III, MD, Chairman of the Board of the NCCN, Associate Director for Clinical Investigations, Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.

NCCN has established an internal committee and a Comparative Effectiveness Work Group comprised of members with expertise in clinical oncology, guideline development, and Comparative Effectiveness research. This NCCN Work Group will deliver a white paper with the intent to drive the national policy process on Comparative Effectiveness by year's end. The recommendations for the NCCN Work Group will be announced at a National Summit that is being planned for December of this year.

About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), a not-for-profit alliance of 21 of the world's leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.

The NCCN Member Institutions are: City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women's Cancer Center - Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Comprehensive Cancer Center, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children's Research Hospital/University of Tennessee Cancer Institute, Memphis, TN; Stanford Comprehensive Cancer Center, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; UNMC Eppley Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.

For more information on NCCN, please visit NCCN.org.

SOURCE National Comprehensive Cancer Network

Source: PR Newswire

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