A research group supported by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) to conduct a specific study on a topic such as the values of various options for the treatment of prostate cancer and benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), the use of serum prostatic specific antigen (PSA) in screening for prostatic cancer, values of knee replacement surgery, and the treatment of back pain. PORTS were established in 1990 as a part of AHCPR’s Medical Treatment Effectiveness Program (MEDTEP).
Those involved in investigating the results of disease interventions and comparing the benefit or lack of benefit of various therapeutic measures.