Fact Sheet: American Recovery and Reinvestment Act Investments in Comparative Effectiveness Research for Horizon Scanning

To execute American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funding effectively, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality will need to identify new and emerging issues for comparative effectiveness review investments. This fact sheet outlines projects that will assist identifying those issues. Select for a list of funded projects on this topic.

The Need: Targeted Research

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (Recovery Act) provides funds to research and provide information on the relative strengths and weaknesses of various medical interventions. This research, called comparative effectiveness research, will give clinicians and patients valid information to make decisions that will improve the performance of the U.S. health care system. Reports on this research can include the pros and cons of all the options so that patients and their doctors can make the best possible treatment decision.

To execute Recovery Act funding effectively, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) will need to identify new and emerging issues for comparative effectiveness review investments.

The Solution: Horizon Scanning

AHRQ will use Recovery Act funding to establish an infrastructure to identify new and emerging issues for comparative effectiveness review investments. This investment will also address emerging technologies and their contextual role in health care.

This investment will establish and use an efficient approach to investigate and prioritize areas for investigation relevant to the 14 priority conditions that guide AHRQ's Effective Health Care Program and that can be scaled for a national investment in comparative effectiveness research. These 14 conditions include: arthritis and nontraumatic joint disorders; cancer; cardiovascular disease, including stroke and hypertension; dementia, including Alzheimer's disease; depression and other mental health disorders; developmental delays, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and autism; diabetes mellitus; functional limitations and disability; infectious diseases, including HIV/AIDS; obesity; peptic ulcer disease and dyspepsia; pregnancy, including preterm birth; pulmonary disease/asthma; and substance abuse.

Horizon scanning will track emerging clinical interventions and investigate key issues related to the intervention. AHRQ will initiate a program dedicated to tracking emerging interventions and investigating ways in which these new interventions are likely to fit into current care pathways.

Funding Method: Cost-based reimbursement contract
Project Duration: 2 years funded with Recovery Act funds with 3 option years (possible funding with annual appropriations based on availability of funds)
Funding Amount: $9.5 million

Information on contract solicitations can be found at http://www.fbo.gov.