Comparative effectiveness provision signed into law
This article was originally published in The Gray Sheet
Executive Summary
Provision in the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act economic stimulus package signed into law by President Obama Feb. 17 will "provide patients and providers with better information on the relative merits of different treatment options," according to a White House fact sheet. The law provides $1.1 billion to promote comparative effectiveness research and creates a federal coordinating council to oversee comparative effectiveness studies. The congressional conference report accompanying the bill states that data gathered in the studies may not be used to mandate Medicare, Medicaid or private payer coverage or reimbursement policies ("1The Gray Sheet" Feb. 16, 2009, p. 3)