Comparative effectiveness initiatives may have significant impact on a sweeping range of constituencies—from providers, payers, industry, and regulators—to patients and their advocates. Competing drugs, medical devices, and clinical procedures are all in play.

This educational site is intended to help you understand the issues involved in this complex topic. You can access a range of resources, from national policy conference recordings to perspectives from leading experts, plus links to Presidential candidate platforms and position statements by stakeholder groups. Visit often as we expand our resources in the coming months.

Conference Sessions: Free Access
ECRI Institute's 15th Annual Conference, Comparative Effectiveness of Health Interventions: Strategies to Change Policy and Practice, was held October 17-18, 2007:

• Access more than 30 free session recordings and slide handouts

Stakeholders Weigh In on Comparative Effectiveness

• AHRQ: Statement by Carolyn Clancy on AHRQ's research efforts in comparative effectiveness
• Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed):Policy on Comparative Effectiveness
• America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP): Proposal to establish a national entity to evaluate new and existing health care services and technologies
• American Medical Association (AMA): Report on strategies to address rising healthcare costs
• Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO): Statement on issues surrounding comparative effectiveness research
• Congressional Budget Office: Research on the Comparative Effectiveness of Medical Treatments
• Congressional Testimony: Subcommittee on Health Hearing on Strategies to Increase Information on Comparative Clinical Effectiveness, June 12, 2007
• The Health Industry Forum: Executive Summary of Comparative Effectiveness Forum
• Institute of Medicine (IOM): Issue Overview from the IOM Roundtable on Evidence-Based Medicine, Comparative Effectiveness in Healthcare
• Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC):
• Report titled "Creating a Center for Evidence-Based Medicine"
• March 2008 report to the Congress, "Medicare Payment Policy" (p. 97) recommends options for using CE information in payment policy.

• Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA): Statement on government-supported health outcomes research on medical technologies and services

Federal Legislation Addressing Comparative Effectiveness

• Learn about several of the bills that have been introduced in the 110th Congress that support comparative effectiveness research.

What are the U.S. Presidential Candidates Saying?
This list represents the U.S. Presidential candidates whose Web sites specifically address comparative effectiveness initiatives:

• Senator Hillary Clinton: Clinton's American Health Choices Plan includes a pledge to "Fund and Distribute Independent Research to Compare Effectiveness of Treatments..." (p. 8)
• Senator John McCain: McCain proposes facilitating "the development of national standards for measuring and recording treatments and outcomes..."
• Senator Barack Obama: "Comparative effectiveness reviews and research" is part of Obama's Plan for a Healthy America (p. 8)

Comparative Effectiveness in the News

• Comparative Effectiveness Bill to Hit Senate, FDAnews Drug Daily Bulletin, April 14, 2008
• Bill Would Create Center For Comparative Effectiveness, Drug Topics
• Whose Opinions Did the New York Times Publish on Comparative Effectiveness Research? Health Care Renewal
• Check back soon for more CE news

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