July 5, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) has received a three-year, $805,000 grant from the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality to establish one of five national Centers for Education and Research on Therapeutics (CERT) of musculoskeletal disorders. The center, located within UAB's existing structure, began operations July 1.

"Musculoskeletal disorders affect more than 40 million Americans and are the leading cause of activity limitations," says Dr. Kenneth Saag, associate professor of medicine at UAB and director of the new center. "Health care costs for arthritis and osteoporosis alone exceed $75 billion a year."

CERT will evaluate the effectiveness and safety of new therapies for musculoskeletal disorders and will guide physicians in the use of new therapies. "In just the past five years, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of new therapies approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat musculoskeletal disorders," says Saag. "Physicians are faced with difficult questions about how best to use new verses existing therapies in an efficient and cost-effective manner."

The center will serve as an information exchange, gathering the latest research and sharing it with practitioners, insurers, policy makers and the general public. "Our emphasis will be on educating physicians using evidence-based guidelines, quality of care indicators and peer performance," says Saag. "The aim of the center is to make physicians aware of advances in therapeutics to improve the standard of care for patients."

The center will work with researchers representing various disciplines across the university as well as other public and private research institutions. "From our partners in managed care organizations and the pharmaceutical industry, to other centers involved in the project, we will use private and public information resources to build on the diversity of resources here at UAB," says Saag.

Dr. Jeroan Allison, assistant professor of medicine at UAB, will serve as the center's co-director. Existing UAB centers that will collaborate on the project include the Center for Outcomes Research and Education, the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Center, the Center for Metabolic Bone Disease and the General Clinical Research Center.

CERT is a cooperative agreement with the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and the FDA.