Panel Discussion USPSTF Recommendations: Process and Impact on Real-World Provision of Care (Text Version)

On September 27, 2010, John Santa made this presentation at the 2010 Annual Conference. Select to access the PowerPoint® presentation (120 KB).  

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Slide 1

Panel Discussion
USPSTF Recommendations: Process and Impact on Real-World Provision of Care

John Santa MD MPH
Director, Health Ratings Center
Consumers Union 

Slide 2

Disclosures

• General internist, most recent practice at the VA [Department of Veterans Affairs] in 2008.
• Employed by Consumers Union, publisher of:
  • Consumer Reports
  • ConsumerReportsHealth.org
  • Multiple other print and electronic publications
• Independent of industry
• Non profit, non partisan

Slide 3

Systems are perfectly designed to get the results they achieve.

Image: A billboard reads 'Illiterate? Write for free help'. A young man standing below looks confused.

Slide 4

Key Principles

• Consumers should be involved "from the start... at the top"... for appropriate tasks.
• Independence, transparency, a supportive environment needed for constructive and credible engagement.
• Playing field needs to be level. A "referee" needs to enforce "discipline."

Slide 5

Options

• Involve at key steps, in key roles.
• Make information available to consumers at crucial decision points. Accept input.
• Make decision making transparent and independent of subsets of stakeholders.
• Accept feedback on decisions, enable reconsideration if appropriate.

Slide 6

Input to USPSTF Draft Recommendations

• Make consumers aware:
  • Diverse media
  • Consider innovative strategies
  • Target for balance
• Define reasonable boundaries around input:
  • Limits on characters, time
  • ? able to submit data
• Access to comments.
• Focus on balance and level playing field:
  • Identity options
  • Conflict of interest options
• Feedback from USPSTF on impact of comments.

Slide 7

"When you're through learning, you're through."

—John Wooden—former UCLA basketball coach