Partnership to Improve Patient Care

As Newsweek points out today, there’s a lot of information out there on health care reform. When it comes to comparative effectiveness research (CER), they rightfully state that “supporters of this type of research say it can provide valuable information to doctors, improving care and also lowering cost.”

The key here is having this valuable information readily available for patients and providers to make the important medical decisions they need to make.

What’s more, patients and their doctors should be the only ones deciding what treatment is needed or desired. The relationship between patient and provider must remain unhindered. And if future comparative effectiveness research (CER) is implemented with that relationship in mind, we will be able to receive enhanced information about treatment options and about how to close the gap between care known to be effective and the care patients receive.

As the health care debate continues to grip the nation, information is power. Good CER will give patients and their providers not only powerful information that leads to improved quality care, but also gives all health care stakeholders more treatment choices. Because an essential part of health care reform will be providing patients and doctors with better quality information, it's critically important that Sens. Baucus and Conrad’s S. 1213 and Rep. Schrader’s H. R. 2502 are included in any reform proposal.