Mathematica Center on Health Care Effectiveness – "Politics and Policy of Comparative Effectiveness: Looking Back, Looking Ahead"

On Thursday September 9, the Center on Health Care Effectiveness held its inaugural Issue Form: “Politics and Policy of Comparative Effectiveness: Looking Back, Looking Ahead”  The forum examined: the creation of the new center at Mathematica, what is Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER)  and how health care reform will influence the future of comparative effectiveness in the U.S. health care system. Health care reform included a major new initiative on comparative effectiveness research. The forum discussed four ongoing policy challenges relevant to the successful implementation of comparative effectiveness research: funding, appropriate use, direction, and scope.
Recent developments in Federal support for CER include:

• American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 provided $1.1 billion for CER
• Affordable Care Act

  • Created the Patience Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund
  • Has mandatory appropriations funding
  • Sunsets September 2019

  • Ends the Federal Coordinating Council for CER and creates the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)

    • PCORI is a private nonprofit cooperation with a board of governors
    • The Board will have representation from AHRQ, NIH, and various stakeholder groups

For more information about Mathematica please visit their website: http://www.mathematica-mpr.com/.  For more information on the Center on Health Care Effectiveness and this issue forum click here.  To view HFA’s Issue Brief on CER click here.