comparative effectiveness

At "The Trouble With Robo-Lending", WSJ, Nov.

(The Hastings Center) The firestorm that followed the November 2009 release of guidelines that would have reduced use of screening mammograms in women aged 40 to 49 highlights challenges for implementing the findings of comparative effectiveness research (CER), according to a new analysis.

Meeting such challenges -- which may become more common due to increased funding for CER -- requires better communication to the public and stakeholders about evidence and its connection to health care quality and efficiency.

(University Hospitals Case Medical Center) Researchers from University Hospitals Case Medical Center's Ireland Cancer Center will present new clinical research findings at the 46th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology June 4-8 in Chicago.

In addition, Neal Meropol, M.D., chief of hematology and oncology, will lead an education session titled "Comparative Effectiveness Research in Oncology: Opportunities and Challenges" on Tuesday, June 8 from 8:00-9:15 a.m.

I have not written much about the seemingly endless health care reform debate in the US, because much of it has not been relevant to the issues we discuss on Health Care Renewal.  Now that the current phase of the debate is done, and legislation has been passed, let me offer my opinions on the few aspects that do seem relevant to this blog.

The Sunshine Act

(University of California - San Diego) Nearly four decades after President Richard Nixon declared a "war on cancer," the disease still claims the lives of 560,000 Americans every year, despite an annual expenditure of $5 billion by the US government on research to battle it.

We have repeatedly argued why comparative effectiveness research, under ideal circumstances, would be a good idea.  As I said before:

We have tried to argue why comparative effectiveness research is a good idea. To cut and paste what I wrote in a previous post,

Recommendations for how the HHS Office of the Secretary will spend $400 million in funds for patient-centered research, also known as comparative effectiveness research, were released today by Federal Coordinating Council for Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER).

We have tried to argue why comparative effectiveness research is a good idea. To cut and paste what I wrote in a previous post,

On the Hooked: Ethics, Medicine and Pharma blog, Dr Howard Brody dissected a campaign to redirect comparative effectiveness research by making it responsible to a new governing board that would include "insurance" and "industry" members.