Encourage Research on What Works

Researchers and policymakers agree there is insufficient information on what medical treatments work best. Providers and patients must make important decisions without knowing how different treatments compare.

Ineffective, redundant and inappropriate care is estimated to account for about 30 percent of healthcare spending (Wennberg, 2003). In part, this is due to a lack of evidence - e.g., only 15 percent of clinical practices are based on clinical trials (D. Eddy, 2005). Also, it is due to a failure to provide treatments that follow the evidence - e.g., only 54 percent of acute care and 56 percent of chronic care conform to medical literature and overall, adults receive about half of recommended care (McGlynn et al., 2003). It is critical that we provide incentives to promote quality care and put what we know works into practice.

What the Blues are Doing

What the Government Should do