Walking a Fine Line: Comparative Effectiveness Panel Must Handle Tricky Issues of Value, Innovation

Modern Healthcare
August 30, 2010

While expanding access to healthcare has been the major focus of healthcare reform until now, efforts to improve patient care while confronting rising costs are rapidly coming to the fore. One effort sure to be closely watched will be an expanded program of comparative clinical effectiveness research led by the new, independent, nongovernmental Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute.

The institute's mission is sweeping, if daunting: to help patients, providers, payers and policymakers make better healthcare decisions based on scientific evidence, through rigorous comparative effectiveness research and thorough dissemination of the findings. The institute will be governed by a 21-member board to be appointed by the end of September by the U.S. comptroller general and representing various sectors of the healthcare system: seven physicians, four from government, three consumer representatives, three private payers, three manufacturers and one health services researcher.

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