This diverse group believes comparative effectiveness research is imperative to generate additional evidence, and objective information, allowing health care providers and their patients to make the best individualized decisions possible.

A strong federal commitment to CER will help improve and expand much-needed data on the outcomes associated with the use of different medical interventions and examine factors that contribute to variations in outcomes.

Not only do we believe CER will generate data about what works best for certain subpopulations, we feel it will also spare patients from treatments that may not work for a specific subset of Americans. Ultimately, scientifically rigorous CER presents an enormous opportunity to accelerate progress toward more tailored or personalized medicine.

We acknowledge that evaluating the effectiveness of medical treatment alternatives is complex, and will require the flexibility to use various methods like randomized clinical trials, observational studies, the development of new and innovative research and study methods, as well as systematic reviews of existing data.

Therefore, in order to establish a robust CER program, we ask that the multiple health-related Federal agencies, which have strong scientific foundations, have a prominent role in study prioritization, methodology, dissemination and, in particular, the conduct and funding of trials which generate new clinical evidence.

On behalf of hundreds-of-thousands of patients, advocates, health care providers, researchers, and all Americans who seek enhanced information regarding their own health care options, we ask that the United States Senate retain Comparative Effectiveness Research as a vital part of the monumental Senate health care reform legislation (H.R. 3950) to give hope to patients and make much-needed improvement to the health of all Americans.

Sincerely,