Incentivizing Comparative Effectiveness Research
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation Research Paper
39 Pages Posted: 5 Apr 2011
Date Written: January 1, 2011
Abstract
Comparative effective research (CER) compares alternative methods of preventing, diagnosing, treating, and otherwise managing medical conditions. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act authorized creation and funding of an independent agency, the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, to expand CER in the U.S. A key issue in the years ahead is the extent to which public investment in CER and related initiatives should be further expanded in an attempt to improve the efficiency of healthcare spending, limit cost growth, and reduce projected deficits for Medicare and Medicaid. This study provides an overview and analysis of public funding of CER and the desirability and feasibility of incentivizing additional CER in the private sector. It explores key impediments to higher private spending on CER, the rationales for increased public investment, the potential benefits and inherent limitations of publicly-funded CER, and the advantages of pursuing a multifaceted approach to increase private sector, entrepreneurial investment in CER.
Keywords: health care, healthcare, CER, research, spending, growth
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