Health Affairs, 24, no. 1 (2005): 80-92 doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.24.1.80 © 2005 by Project HOPE	New Online   Pay Cuts For Medicare Docs   Access To Care Woes   Public Coverage More Efficient   Empowering Consumers

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Evaluating Evidence

Evidence Based? Caveat Emptor!

Medical practices, clinical practice guidelines, clinical performance measures and measurements, and a variety of health care–related administrative decisions, such as insurance coverage decisions, are claiming to be "evidence based" with increasing frequency. In this paper we examine the "evidence based" label; discuss how evidence ought to have been assembled, evaluated, and synthesized; and when evidence is sufficient for the "evidence-based" moniker to rightfully apply. We also highlight several considerations other than the strength of evidence that are relevant to several common types of health care–related administrative decisions and that influence the extent to which the resulting decisions are truly evidence based.

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