NEW ORLEANS – The American College of Physicians has joined with Consumer Reports to create a series of guidelines designed to help consumers understand the risks and benefits – and costs – of diagnostic tests and therapies.
The collaboration is an extension of the ACP’s High Value, Cost-Conscious Care Initiative, Dr. Steven Weinberger, executive vice president and CEO of the ACP, said at a press briefing announcing the collaboration.
"Patients are clearly one of the audiences for our High Value, Cost-Conscious Care campaign and it is therefore important to have the appropriate vehicle to get information to them, and Consumer Reports is an absolutely wonderful opportunity for us," said Dr. Weinberger.
According to Consumer Reports vice president and editorial director Kevin McKean, the publication is one of the ten biggest magazines in America, with 4 million paying customers every month, and is the largest paid-content website in the world with 3.5 million online subscribers.
Everything Consumer Reports disseminates to the public will be based on the ACP’s evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Those guidelines go through rigorous and multiple layers of review, and are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
The first two reports for the public will be "Imaging tests for lower-back pain," and "Choosing a type 2 diabetes drug." The back pain report is based on the ACP guidelines published April 17, 2012, in the Annals of Internal Medicine (2011;154:181-9).
As noted in the ACP guidelines, the two-page paper that is scheduled to appear in Consumer Reports recommends against immediately seeking imaging procedures for most acute-onset back pain. The report outlines some cases in which imaging might be warranted, and suggests approaches for treating back pain in the first few weeks after onset.
The two-page diabetes report for consumers makes the argument that metformin is often the best and most cost-effective drug. It also makes suggestions for managing diabetes through lifestyle changes. That report is based on a clinical practice guideline published Feb. 7, 2012, in the Annals of Internal Medicine (2012;156:218-31).
Both articles include an explanatory box stating that the information provided is to be used in discussion with a health care provider, and that it is not a substitute for professional medical advice.
The partnership with the ACP is "absolutely crucial" to Consumer Reports’ mission to be more focused on health care, Mr. McKean said. The ACP is an impressive partner because of its experience, its focus on evidence-based medicine, and "its willingness to confront the cost issue."
Dr. John Santa, director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center, acknowledged that recommendations to use fewer services may not be immediately embraced by the public. "Consumer perceptions are very strong that more health care is better, [and] that more-expensive health care is better," he said at the briefing.
The guidelines will be easy to understand, and will be produced in Spanish and in low literacy versions, said Dr. Santa. Supporting videos will be posted on the Consumer Reports website. Additionally, all of the information will be available in PDF format, even to nonsubscribers of Consumer Reports. Some of the information may also appear as articles in the print magazine
Consumer Reports also is partnering with a network of organizations, including the AARP, the National Business Group on Health, and the Service Employees International Union, according to Dr. Santa. "Each of those [organizations] has committed over the next 2 or 3 years to distribute to their audience topics they feel are of interest," reaching perhaps another 1 million consumers.
Dr. Weinberger said it was premature to discuss what topics might be covered in future collaborations, or when those consumer guidelines would appear. But ACP’s clinical guidelines committee will select the topics, which could include imaging for headache and the appropriateness of cancer screening.
Dr. Santa said that Consumer Reports was already working on a version of the ACP’s colorectal screening guidelines published March 6, 2012, as a guidance statement (Ann. Intern. Med. 2012;156:378-86).