AMA launches new clinical practice guideline program
Clinical practice guidelines can help your staff follow the most proven path of treatment for various conditions, but the guidelines can be trusted only if they were developed in a sound, scientific manner. To help health care risk managers and clinicians determine when guidelines are trustworthy, the American Medical Association (AMA) in Chicago has launched the Clinical Practice Guideline Recognition Program.
The program is the AMA’s response to what it calls "growing concern among physicians about misapplication of clinical practice guidelines by some insurers, the proliferation of proprietary guidelines of questionable scientific integrity, and the funding of guidelines by pharmaceutical firms that may preferentially suggest the use of their products." Guidelines will be reviewed by a panel of experts to determine if they are objective, accurate, and truly represent the best advice on treatment.
Experts will review guides
The evaluations will be conducted by representatives from a number of medical specialty societies, plus groups like the American Hospital Association, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
Guidelines that meet specified criteria will be designated "AMA Recognized Clinical Practice Guidelines."
The AMA will identify each approved guideline in its Directory of Clinical Practice Guidelines, a reference source listing approximately 1,700 clinical practice guidelines.
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