The passage of national health care reform will intensify focus on quality, cost and comparative effectiveness in all areas of medicine - but especially in areas of medicine concentrated on leading-edge technologies, said Dr. Robert Califf, vice chancellor for clinical research at Duke University Medical Center, Durham, N.C., and director of the Duke Translational Medicine Institute. Dr. Califf will deliver the Hildner Lecture, titled "Interventional Cardiology in the Era of Comparative Effectiveness," today at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) 33rd Annual Scientific Sessions in San Diego.
The comparison of treatment options for the same medical condition - whether it be new technologies, medications or procedures - is a hotly debated issue in the medical and academic research communities right now, particularly in the cardiovascular care spectrum. However, Dr. Califf notes interventional cardiologists have done an exceptional job of building a robust body of evidence on clinical outcomes, and should be proud of their commitment to quality.
"Without evidence you have no basis for judging quality," said Dr. Califf. "Cardiology is far advanced in this way when compared to most areas of medicine."
In addition to providing a historical look at revascularization and outcomes, Dr. Califf will highlight recent clinical trial data that provide perspective on comparative effectiveness among treatment options, such as: medical therapy vs. revascularization; coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG) vs. percuntaneous coronary intervention (PCI); and stents vs. stents.
"Evidence-based medicine gives us a disciplined approach to improving outcomes in all areas of medicine," said Dr. Califf. "A demand for good clinical evidence will continue to make the cardiology community stronger and help us provide even better care to our patients."
According to Dr. Califf, the future holds opportunities for improved evidence gathering through ever-increasing use of electronic health records, evolving diagnostic tools and tests, and the increasing wealth of significant data collected by professional society registries.
SCAI established the Hildner Lecture in 2001 to honor Frank J. Hildner, MD, FSCAI. Dr. Hildner was the founding editor of SCAI's official journal, now known as Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions (CCI).
Dr. Califf presented the Hildner Lecture on Friday, May 7, 2010.