Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Legislative Proposals| Friends of Cancer Research

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Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Legislative Proposals

Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER) Legislative Proposals

CER continues to be an important componant of the health reform debate. The House and Senate both have provisions on comparative effectiveness research that are, or likely will be, included in the health reform legislation from the House and Senate, and are designed to improve medical decision-making through expansion of the federal government programs for research comparing the effectiveness of medical options.

Currently language relating to CER has been included in the Senate HELP Committee Health Reform proposal, from the House Tri-Committee proposal, and a form of the previously proposed Baucus-Conrad bill, "The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Act of 2009" will be included in the yet-to-be-released Senate Finance Committees health reform proposal that has recently finished the markup of their bill.

All of the proposals create a trust fund to support such research through a combination of appropriations and a per-capita fee on Medicare and private insurers.

A major difference between the bills is their governance structure. The Baucus-Conrad CER proposal would establish an independent, multi-stakeholder Board to set research priorities and award grants. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT), chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said, "Doctors and patients need reliable, unbiased information about the effectiveness of treatments to determine the best care possible, but right now that data is scarce and unorganized."

The House Tri-Committee version would create a center for outcomes research housed within the Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) in conjunction with a new advisory committee. The Comparative Effectiveness Research Center, included in the House bill, would coordinate information across a broad spectrum of medical research.

The Senate HELP proposal would establish a Center for Health Outcomes Research and Evaluation to, according to the legislation, identify ways to most effectively prevent, diagnose, treat and clinically manage diseases, disorders and health conditions.

To view the Senate HELP Committees Health Reform Bill [CLICK HERE]

To view the House Tri-Committee Section-by-Section Analysis (CER on pg.19) [CLICK HERE]

To view the The PatientCentered Outcomes Research Act of 2009 [CLICK HERE]