In: Economics
What kinds of treatments will comparative effectiveness research compare?
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation (2009), there is general agreement that comparative effectiveness research should compare the effectiveness of two or more health care services or treatments. However, there is disagreement on precisely what types of treatments should be compared. While some believe all types should be compared, i.e. medical and surgical procedures, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, etc., others believe that comparing treatments in which the effectiveness can vary depending on the experience or training health care providers( health counseling), to those in which the effectiveness does not vary across providers( pharmaceuticals) is not a fair comparison (kaiser family foundation, 2009). Currently, research focuses on the effectiveness of one type of treatment. Despite some efforts underway to comparing multiple treatments, companies do not have the resources to compare their product to other types of treatments.