U.S. Congress Authorizes First Optometrist for Advisory Panel on Improving Healthcare Systems

WASHINGTON, D.C.—For the first time, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) has appointed an optometrist to its advisory panel on Improving Healthcare Systems. On Tuesday, Feb. 25, the board of governors of PCORI approved the American Optometric Association's (AOA) chief public health officer, Michael R. Duenas, OD, for a three-year term on its advisory panel on Improving Healthcare Systems. The panel, authorized by the U.S. Congress, guides national priorities for research and improving health care delivery. It is one of four PCORI panels established April 1, 2013 in accordance with federal law to prioritize clinical research that helps develop the best evidence-based information for patients and caregivers to reference and make informed decisions that lead to an overall improvement in health care outcomes. While PCORI's advisory panels do not make policy, their guidance helps the institute refine its research and other activities to improve health care delivery and outcomes nationwide.   See more