Comparative effectiveness research: from clinical information to economic incentives.

Comparative effectiveness research has been promoted as a way to control health care costs, but there has been less discussion of the mechanisms through which new evidence actually will influence physician practice, patient preference, and manufacturer investment. Public and private insurers use conditional coverage, consumer cost sharing, provider contracting, and drug payment policies to manage and direct the flow of resources into the health care system. This paper examines how each of these approaches may be adapted to incorporate new evidence from comparative effectiveness research.