Health Affairs, 26, no. 2 (2007): w150-w152 (Published online 26 January 2007) doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.26.2.w150 © 2007 by Project HOPE	New Online   How Would Obama, McCain Cover The Uninsured?   Cost To Cover Uninsured   Let Health IT Market Evolve   How Rate Health IT Progress?   HIV/AIDS In India, China

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Challenges Ahead For Federal Technology Assessment

Sean Tunis and colleagues provide an excellent critique of current federal activities to assess new medical technology. These efforts generally do not involve primary data collection but rather reflect attempts to better synthesize existing information, to make conditional coverage decisions based on the data, and to increase coordination among government agencies. Many challenges remain on analytical, logistical, legal, and political fronts. Researchers and analysts should be more precise about what "rapid learning" means and strive to measure performance. Efforts are also needed to prioritize research, to communicate it to decisionmakers, to involve stakeholders in the process, and to include cost-effectiveness information.

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