Developing a center for comparative effectiveness information

Interest in objective, credible comparative clinical effectiveness information has been growing in the United States, both by those who support competitive behavior in health care and by those who support administered pricing. The Medicare drug benefit has heightened interest in better information, although the potential payoff is even greater for medical procedures than for drugs, since procedures account for more of the health care dollar. Careful consideration needs to be given regarding the appropriate structure, placement, financing, and function of an agency devoted to comparative effectiveness if it is to achieve its objective: a mechanism to support better decision making in health care.