The bill would set up a research fund paid for with unused money from the stimulus bill, as well as fees on Medicare and private health plans.

The Health Care Comparative Effectiveness Research Institute that it establishes would be overseen by a 21-member board, appointed by the U.S. Comptroller General and would include HHS officials, patient, physician and private payer representatives and others. 

Public comment would be allowed prior to establishing research guidelines, and all research conducted would be subject to a stringent peer-review process.  Patients’ gender, race, age and ethnicity would have to be accounted for in research studies.