HPIO releases brief on comparative effectiveness research

With the recent passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the federal government made its largest ever investment in comparative effectiveness research. 

While much is still unknown about what exactly will be done with the $1.1 billion in stimulus funds set aside for CER, the potential impact on the nation’s health care system is hard to overstate. That is why the Health Policy Institute of Ohio has released its latest policy brief, “The Federal Call for Accelerated Comparative Effectiveness Research in Health Care” (pdf, 8 pages). 

The brief includes an explanation of CER (including past private-sector examples and international experiences), a description of the current legislation and arguments for and against it.

“The purpose of comparative effectiveness research is to provide critical, evidence-based information to physicians and patients so that they can engage in informed, shared, decision making when it comes to treatment options,” the brief states. “While there is growing consensus among stakeholders that such information is critical, there remains some controversy over exactly how such research should occur.”