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CMTP Activities

CMTP’s primary activities during the development phase are to design and begin implementation of clinical studies for three pilot project topics.  As part of this process, CMTP will develop methods for priority setting among potential high value new technologies. CMTP will also create a robust organizational structure of advisory committees to support its work.  Lastly, steps will be taken to develop a sustainable long-term funding model to support the CMTP and its designed study protocols. 

In May of 2006, CMTP held the first meeting of its steering committee, which led to the selection of five potential pilot project topics, based on specific pre-established criteria.  The topics selected were: 1) radiation therapy for prostate cancer, 2) delivery of ICU care through telemedicine, 3) minimally-invasive bariatric surgery, 4) Gene expression profiling tests for early stage breast cancer, 5) CT angiography for diagnosis of coronary artery disease.

Small multi-disciplinary workgroups, consisting of product developers, clinicians, payers, methodologists, patients and other stakeholders, have now been formed for each potential topic.  The role of these workgroups is to:

  • Identify the specific questions that health care decision makers have about each technology
  • Determine the study methods that will be needed to address these questions, with emphasis on real-world, pragmatic designs
  • Develop detailed study protocols for 3 of the 5 technology topics
  • Initiate partnerships necessary for study funding and implementation

The workgroup discussions of important unanswered questions, methods, funding, and implementation are expected to provide generalizable insights into the real world evaluation of the broader categories of technologies that these specific pilot topic represent.

Additional activities

Since its inception in January 2006, CMTP has developed active working relationships with key regional and national decision makers, stakeholders and experts. CMTP has also established links with other organizations focused on technology policy and evidence development, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the New England Healthcare Institute (NEHI), the HMO Research Network (HMORN), the Integrated Healthcare Association (IHA), the Institute for Clinical and Economic Research (ICER), the Critical Path Institute (C-PATH) and others. 

CMTP is also:

  • Working with several patient advocacy organizations and physician groups to explore collaborative mechanisms for priority setting
  • Convening a series of in-person and conference-call meetings of organizations working in the area of evidence-based technology policy: the Technology Policy Collaborative (read more on here)
  • Convening a workshop focused on pragmatic clinical trials, cluster-randomized trials, quasi-experimental designs and other methods intended to increase the speed and affordability of prospective clinical studies.
  • Drafting a 5-year strategic plan, including options for medium and long term funding.
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