Thomson Reuters launches The Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research

Thomson Reuters Combines Expertise and Information Resources In Its New Center For Comparative Effectiveness Research

Ann Arbor, MI, February 1, 2011 – Thomson Reuters announced today that it has launched The Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research to help advance the quality and effective use of comparative effectiveness research (CER) in the U.S. healthcare system.

Comparative effectiveness research evaluates medical treatments to determine which work best in real-world settings. To do this, researchers must assess a comprehensive array of health-related outcomes for diverse patient populations. With nearly four decades of experience in this arena, Thomson Reuters is uniquely positioned to support CER initiatives with proprietary data, experienced researchers, and clinical decision support tools.

“Thomson Reuters works closely with healthcare payers and providers, manufacturers, scientists, and the federal government to manage and analyze data to guide healthcare decision making,” said William D. Marder, PhD, a healthcare economist and senior vice president at Thomson Reuters. “This places us in the forefront of information providers who can help the healthcare community apply comparative effectiveness research to improve everyday clinical practice.”

Facts about Healthcare in the U.S.

Reuters has posted some facts about the U.S. healthcare system. The ones that really stood out to me were:

• Americans spend more per capita on healthcare than any other country at $7,421 per person, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services reports. Yet studies suggest Americans get poorer care than people in other industrialized countries that have national healthcare plans.
• The U.S. Census Bureau says 46 million Americans, or 15 percent of the population, have no health insurance.
• Growth in health-insurance premiums has outpaced workers' earnings and inflation since 2004 by a ratio of 4 to 1, according to the Kaiser Foundation.
  

We are in desperate need of some serious healthcare reform.