Massachusetts Personal Injury Library
New studies for competing treatments funded by government
A recent article in The New York Times says that the Obama administration is funding studies of competing treatments of conditions like back pain, heart disease, and prostate cancer.
According to the article, 15 years ago federal officials issued guidelines regarding competing treatments and it became a political battle between the Republican party, the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and a medical device maker called Medtronic, who blocked the release of the study and tried to eliminate the agency’s funding.
The Times said the federal government plans to spend $1.1 billionover the next few years to conduct studies comparing the effectiveness of treatments and these studies will be published so patients and their doctors can discuss various treatment options.
Medical research
Those who support these studies such as medical researchers and consumer groups say this is important to stop the use of ineffective treatments and will help control health care costs, said the Times. Health care costs in 2007 came to $2.2 trillion. The studies are also supported by the New England Journal of Medicine in their most recent issue supporting the federal government’s plan, according to the Times.
There are some who oppose these studies, including medical product companies, drug producers, some doctors, and some politicians who say that comparative effectiveness will lead to inadequate treatment and the rationing of health care, said the Times.
Public hearings
The first step in this process is holding a series of public hearings by government health experts where people can suggest medical conditions for comparative effectiveness reviews, said the Times. In June, the federal panel and the Institute of Medicine, a part of the National Academies of Science, will issue a report prioritizing those conditions that should be comparatively researched, according to the article.
Funding for studies
With this federal funding, the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will provide funding for studiesthat will look at several treatment options and develop information-gathering tools like databases of patients being treated for certain conditions, said the Times.
The Oregon Evidence-Based Practice Center started producing reports comparing the effectiveness of competing drugs, brand names and generic, according to the Times. Dr. Mark Helfand, director of the center as part of the Oregon Health and Science University said the intention of the studies was to help purchasers like state Medicaid programs lower their costs, said the article.
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