FDA in the 21st Century:
Issues and Their Impact on Medical Technology
Dec 8-9, 2008
Indianapolis, IN
The Food and Drug Administration is facing enormous challenges, including an expanded role in a globalized marketplace; questions about its scientific capacity, problems due to limited financial resources, changing relations with industry and physicians including ethics and conflict of interest challenges, and political pressures to expand its role in the healthcare marketplace.
What should the future of FDA be? What are the major policy issues and how should those issues be addressed?
Evidence-Based Medicine:
How Can Evidence Improve Health Care?
How Do We Get There from Here?
June 5-6, 2008
San Francisco, California
The term Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) is frequently invoked as the vehicle to value and efficiency in health care. Proponents focus on easily achievable aspects; opponents point to barriers and limitations. The purpose of the MTLF Forum is to clarify the meaning of EBM, and to realistically assess the strengths and limitations of its use. The Forum will:
- Discuss questions of definition: what do we mean by the term and how much evidence and of what type do we need?
- Questions for professionals: Who will or should generate evidence? What role should providers play in implementation of EBM standards? How do we balance professional autonomy with EBM standards?
- Questions for providers and payers: Should payers pay only for EBM? What are the barriers to implementation? Can we use evidence in a coordinated or focused way?
- Questions about goals: Have we over-sold the value of EBM in health care? Are there better ways to focus efforts on appropriate goals? Who is working on answers to the challenges of this field?
