About EPC

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Health Services and Outcomes Research Collaboration

The Stanford-UCSF Evidence-based Practice Center (EPC) is a joint collaborative effort between Stanford University and the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF). In 1997, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (formerly the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research) designated 12 EPC sites in North America. In 2002, a second round of contracts were awarded to continue and expand the work performed by the EPCs. Talented and renowned faculty versed in a wide-range of disciplines relevant to evidence-based medicine, and long-standing relationships with the managed care organizations in the California marketplace make the Stanford-UCSF EPC unique.

Evidence-based medicine is the defining principle in much of the work of the group of investigators at both institutions. The toolbox of evidence-based medicine includes: systematic review and critical appraisal of the medical literature; clinical epidemiology; biostatistics; health services research; development of clinical guidelines; and supplemental analyses such as meta-analysis, decision analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis. The EPC effort extends current collaborative work in these areas of health services and outcomes research.

Center Mission

The Stanford-UCSF EPC provides an infrastructure and focal point for the conduction of high quality systematic literature reviews, supplemental syntheses, technology assessments, and generation of evidence reports. Access to local experts in all components of health care decision-making enhances the Center's truly multidisciplinary scope. The Center will focus on furthering the practice and translation of evidence-based medicine in the ultimate pursuit of improving health outcomes for populations and individuals.