by
Glenda Fauntleroy, DOTmed News | December 12, 2011
From the November 2011 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Guides comparing everything from automobiles to dishwashers have informed consumers’ purchasing decisions for decades; so new guides comparing medications and medical procedures are a welcome addition for both patients and health care professionals.
Reviews of medical treatments and medications are at the heart of the concept behind “comparative effectiveness research,” which responds to a widespread concern that patients and their physicians often do not have the information they need to make the best choices about how to treat their health conditions. The effectiveness research is generated from studies comparing drugs, medical devices, tests, surgeries or ways to deliver health care.
“The purpose of comparative effectiveness research is to help health care decision- makers make informed decisions based on the best current evidence,” says Jean Slutsky, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s Center for Outcomes and Evidence.
AHRQ administers the Effective Health Care Program and is one of the federal agencies designated to develop and distribute comparative research reviews; the program has been involved in comparative effectiveness research since its creation in 2003. However, President Obama’s 2010 stimulus package granted AHRQ’s Effective Health Care Program a significant budget increase, enabling it to expand its work to better carry out its mission.
“With funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, we have increased our efforts to disseminate Effective Health Care Program products through partnership development and educational outreach,” says Slutsky. The Recovery Act provided the program with an additional $300 million in funding.
The Effective Health Care Program reviews scientific evidence and publishes research findings for clinicians, consumers and policymakers. The research reviews give head-to-head comparisons of the benefits or risks of tests or treatment choices for a range of health problems, including breathing conditions, cancer, diabetes, mental health and heart disease. Consumer guides give background information on health conditions and clinician guides rate the strength of evidence behind a report’s conclusions; the guides on medications also list wholesale price information.
AHRQ is just one agency involved in comparative effectiveness research. The passage of the administration’s 2010 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act established the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, structured by Congress as an independent research organization. PCORI was directed by Congress to collaborate with existing federal agencies engaged in outcomes research, particularly AHRQ and the National Institutes of Health. PCORI funding was set at $210 million for the first three years and will increase to about $350 million in 2013.
