Comparative effectiveness research: do employers care? What will they do? What about productivity outcomes?

Recent Federal legislation, including the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), has launched a comprehensive national effort to conduct and disseminate comparative effectiveness research (CER). As purchasers of health care for employees, dependents and retirees, employers stand to benefit from potential quality and cost impacts of CER. Further, because they can influence patients, providers and provider organizations through health programs and benefit design, employers have the ability to contribute to the translation of CER findings into clinical practice, enabling quality and cost improvements. Our research indicates that a sizable segment of employers (specifically, large and self-insured employers who comprised our sample) are aware of CER and expect that CER findings will help them achieve health improvement and cost management goals. These employers have clear ideas about how they would use health programs and benefit strategies to help translate CER findings into practice. Our research further indicates that employers would value CER outcomes related to workforce productivity, and believe it is important for CER research to consider the impact of alternative treatments on absence, disability and work performance when appropriate. The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is by far employers’ most trusted source of CER information; and while some employers plan to directly monitor CER developments, most will rely on their health plans, consultants and Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs) to keep them apprised of relevant matters and to help identify and implement effective program and policy actions. Employers are important health care stakeholders, and–particularly if findings address their interests in workforce productivity as well as employee health and health care costs–employers will be an ally in the effort to translate CER findings into better clinical practice, improved health, enhanced productivity and lower costs. 1