Finding out what works in health care is critical in an era of limited resources, increasing demand for health care, a rapidly aging population, and soaring costs. Understanding the benefits and risks of available treatments and knowing which treatments result in improved outcomes for patients are essential to providing quality health care.
Congress created the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) in 1989 to improve the quality, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health care and access to that care. Projects in the Medical Treatment Effectiveness Program (MEDTEP) are designed to determine the strategies that are most effective and cost effective for preventing, diagnosing, treating, and managing clinical conditions.
MEDTEP has four essential elements: research, development of data for research, development of clinical practice guidelines, and dissemination of information to health care practitioners, consumers, insurers, employers, policymakers, and others.
An important aspect is disseminating new scientific information about what procedures or services are most effective for specific conditions and populations. AHCPR expects these efforts to help reduce health provider uncertainty, minimize inappropriate variations in practice, and enable patients to become more informed participants in the selection and use of health care resources.