WASHINGTON — Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers in eight cities are the first to earn accreditation for their research programs under revised standards of the National Committee for Quality Assurance’s (NCQA) Human Research Protection Program (HRPP). The independent accreditation system ensures research programs meet all federal regulations protecting human research participants.
“We are making the safety of human research participants a top priority,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi. “This NCQA accreditation is more evidence of VA’s commitment to excellence.”
The accredited research centers are in Charleston, S.C.; Hampton, Va.; Los Angeles; Minneapolis; Mountain Home, Tenn.; Pittsburgh; Providence, R.I.; and Syracuse, N.Y.
VA is the first organization to require all its research sites to undergo the NCQA accreditation process. All VA medical centers conducting human research will complete the process by September 2005.
“Accreditation has strengthened VA’s ongoing efforts to protect volunteers whose contributions to medical advances benefit us all,” said Dr. Nelda Wray, VA’s chief research and development officer.
NCQA’s accreditation program establishes standards of performance and evaluates medical centers through independent, external review. The accreditation program provides an objective framework for ensuring that processes are in place to inform and protect the thousands of people who volunteer to participate in VA research activities every year.
Under the program, VA medical centers are required to meet standards addressing institutional responsibilities, institutional review board structure and operations, consideration of risks and benefits, and informed consent. NCQA standards are intended to help the medical centers achieve the highest level of performance possible and create an environment of continuous improvement.
“Accreditation demonstrates these medical centers’ commitment to safeguarding the interests of human research participants,” said Jessica Briefer French, NCQA’s assistant vice president for human research protection.
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