Centers for Education & Research on Therapeutics (CERTs)
The mission of CERTs is to conduct research and provide education that will advance the optimal use of drugs, medical devices, and biological products; increase awareness of the benefits and risks of therapeutics; and improve quality while cutting the costs of care.
CERTs consists of 6 research centers and a central scientific coordinating center, the CERTs Scientific Forum. The Centers receive funds from both public and private sources, with core financial support from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).
Research conducted by the CERTs program has three major aims:
- To increase awareness of both the uses and risks of new drugs and drug combinations, biological products, and devices, as well as of mechanisms to improve their safe and effective use.
- To provide clinical information to patients and consumers;
health care providers; pharmacists, pharmacy benefit managers, and purchasers;
health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and health care delivery systems;
insurers; and government agencies.
- To improve quality while reducing cost of care by increasing the appropriate use of drugs, biological products, and devices and by preventing their adverse effects and consequences of these effects (such as unnecessary hospitalizations).