The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC) signed an agreement with ECRI Institute in Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, to offer its academic medical centre members special pricing on ECRI's library of current technology research. This agreement will offer UHC members current data to assist in buying decisions. ECRI Institute, an independent non-profit organization, is a leader in providing information and consulting services for health care technology assessment.

The agreement offers the hundreds of UHC members broader access to medical technology information, direct contact with health technology experts, and on-demand responses through ECRI Institute's Health Technology Assessment Information Service (HTAIS). HTAIS, a comprehensive membership and consulting service, provides cost-effective information and tools to help health care facilities make the best decisions for their patients and their organizations.

ECRI Institute's programme enhances UHC's own robust health technology assessment programme, which offers members evidence-based reports and resources on high-impact emerging technologies. Topics range from medical devices that prevent venous thromboembolic disease in surgical patients to robotic catheter systems.

The technology assessment programme provides guidance to those who participate in hospital-based technology and value analysis committees and collaborates on projects to increase patient safety and the quality of care.

ECRI Institute's HTAIS membership program includes evidence-based analyses of the comparative effectiveness of drugs, medical devices, and procedures, delivered through evidence reports, forecasting and trending tools, and online databases. Critical insights are provided on thousands of health care technologies and services along the continuum of evidence, from research and development to diffusion into the marketplace. Participating UHC members can also make inquiries about technologies; ECRI Institute will research them and provide information with a quick turnaround.

"This engagement supports our mission to keep academic medical centers at the forefront of technology acquisition, management, and clinical use," said Cindy White, UHC vice president, Operations. "Our members will be able to keep abreast of the latest developments and make accurate decisions on purchases and use."

"We're pleased to have this opportunity to provide UHC members with unbiased, evidence-based guidance on a broad range of health technologies," said Vivian Coates, vice president, Information Services and Health Technology Assessment, ECRI Institute. "We look forward to working with the facilities to help them make informed decisions based on the best available evidence."

The University HealthSystem Consortium (UHC), formed in 1984, is an alliance of 104 academic medical centers and 220 of their affiliated hospitals, representing approximately 90 per cent of the nation's nonprofit academic medical centers.

ECRI Institute, a nonprofit organization, dedicates itself to bringing the discipline of applied scientific research to healthcare to uncover the best approaches to improving patient care.