The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition (AMIC), together with several patient advocacy organizations, is urging the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) to change the composition of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and its process for issuing recommendations.
In a letter written to AHRQ, AMIC and its allies requested the following changes:
- Include representatives from specialty medical associations, patient groups, and scientific societies.
- Make the USPSTF recommendations process open to the public and fully transparent by following the procedures required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act.
- Require that the USPSTF issue recommendations affecting a particular area of medicine and/or a specific disease state only if at least one member of the USPSTF has proven expertise in such area.
The letter was signed by the following groups, in addition to AMIC:
- Action to Cure Kidney Cancer
- American Pain Foundation
- Bladder Cancer Advocacy Network
- Brain Injury Association of America
- Colon Cancer Alliance
- ColonTown
- Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Association
- Kidney Cancer Association
- Lung Cancer Alliance
- Men's Health Network
- Patient Advocates for Advanced Cancer Treatments
- Sarcoma Foundation of America
- Semi-Colon Club
- Sudden Cardiac Arrest Association
- Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network
- YES! Beat Liver Tumors
- ZERO -- The Project to End Prostate Cancer
