AHRQ Selects Outcome to Conduct Comparative Effectiveness Study of Treatment Strategies for Open-Angle Glaucoma

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Outcome Sciences, Inc. (OUTCOME), the leading provider of patient registries, studies, and technologies for evaluating real-world outcomes, today announced that the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has selected Outcome as the DEcIDE Center for a study designed to compare the effectiveness of medications versus surgery for the treatment of open-angle glaucoma. The study will enroll 2,600 patients from 30 sites across the United States and is intended to provide new scientific information about the effects of different treatment approaches in individuals who have glaucoma.

“AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program funds research done by investigators and research centers like Outcome, and we look forward to the results of this important project.”

Open angle glaucoma was among the 100 topics identified in the 2009 Institute of Medicine (IOM) report on comparative effectiveness research priorities. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 charged the IOM to recommend the national CER priorities for the $400 million designated to the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Outcome’s proposal was selected by AHRQ in response to a request that listed the IOM nominated topics.

The Outcome DEcIDE Center will be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the study, the design of the protocol and case report forms, building the study database, handling data collection, data management and database quality assurance. Richard Gliklich, MD, president and CEO of Outcome, will serve as the study’s principal investigator. His co-investigators include Anne Coleman, MD, PhD, Fran and Ray Stark Professor of Ophthalmology at the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute and director of the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s H. Dunbar Hoskins Center for Quality Eye Care (Hoskins Center), and Flora Lum, MD, executive director of the Hoskins Center.

“Outcome is honored to have been chosen by AHRQ to conduct a study in collaboration with the UCLA Jules Stein Eye Institute and Academy’s Hoskins Center. This work has the potential to improve the standard of care for patients diagnosed with open-angle glaucoma, especially within minority populations,” said Dr. Gliklich. “This study further demonstrates the important role comparative effectiveness data can play in providing healthcare providers with critical treatment information during the decision-making process.”

“As one of the original research centers to participate in the DEcIDE Network, Outcome Sciences has demonstrated its commitment to gathering important new knowledge and information to improve health outcomes,” said Jean R. Slutsky, director of AHRQ’s Center for Outcomes and Evidence. “AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program funds research done by investigators and research centers like Outcome, and we look forward to the results of this important project.”

About the Study

The prospective, observational cohort study is expected to enroll 2,600 patients located in approximately 30 sites from April 2011 through October 2012. Data from the study will be collected over a 12-month period and will include demographic characteristics, medical history, glaucoma severity, patient outcomes and patient quality of life. Analyses will compare patients who underwent surgical procedures with patients who were treated with medication and will also examine the treatment effect by race ethnicity, given the current lack of information for minority populations. The goal of the study is to provide new scientific information about the effects of different treatment approaches in individuals who have open-angle glaucoma.

About Open-Angle Glaucoma

Open-angle glaucoma is a disease that can damage the eye's optic nerve and result in vision loss and blindness. It occurs when the normal fluid pressure inside the eyes slowly rises. Open-angle glaucoma is believed to account for approximately 90% of all glaucoma cases in the United States, the incidence of which is thought to increase with age. Some studies suggest that high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, and nearsightedness all increase risk of glaucoma.

Open-angle glaucoma affects more than 2 million individuals in the United States. Owing to the rapid aging of the U.S. population, this number will increase to more than 3 million by 2020. Worldwide, it is estimated that 66.8 million people have glaucoma. More than 7 million office visits occur per year for the primary purpose of monitoring patients with glaucoma and patients at risk for developing glaucoma in this country. Glaucoma of all types is one of the leading causes of legal blindness in the country.

About AHRQ

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the lead Federal agency charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. As one of 12 agencies within the Department of Health and Human Services, AHRQ supports health services research that will improve the quality of health care and promote evidence-based decisionmaking. The Effective Health Care Program funds individual researchers, research centers, and academic organizations to work together with the AHRQ to produce effectiveness and comparative effectiveness research for clinicians, consumers, and policymakers. For more information on the AHRQ Effective Health Care Program, please visit http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/. For additional information, please contact AHRQ Public Affairs: [phone] or [phone].

About the H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., M.D. Center for Quality Eye Care

The American Academy of Ophthalmology’s H. Dunbar Hoskins Jr., M.D. Center for Quality Eye Care is a quality of care and health policy research center that advances the accessibility to and appropriateness of eye care services. The work of the Hoskins Center will help ensure that patients continue to receive high quality, evidence-based eye care within a tightening economic environment that will demand increased value for any services provided. The Hoskins Center conducts and supports clinical care evaluations, develops patient care guidelines, establishes national data registries, and collects and analyzes data from clinical practices to help inform decision makers about the quality and effectiveness of eye care technologies and procedures. More information can be found at www.hoskinscenter.org.

About Outcome

Outcome is the leading provider of patient registries, studies, quality improvement programs, and integrated technologies for evaluating real-world outcomes. Outcome provides services and technologies focused on evaluating the safety, effectiveness, and quality of healthcare products and services. The company has designed, developed, and managed more than 175 patient registries, including many of the largest and most well-recognized programs for disease outcomes and patient safety.

Outcome is also an Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) DEcIDE Research Center, a component of the “Effective Health Care” initiative sponsored by the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services. Outcome was selected by AHRQ to lead the effort to create the patient registries handbook “Registries for Evaluating Patient Outcomes: A User’s Guide,” released in May 2007 and planned for update in 2010. For more information, please visit www.outcome.com.

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