Moving comparative effectiveness research into practice: implementation science and the role of academic medicine.

The success of the federal investment in comparative effectiveness research will hinge on using the power of science to guide reforms in health care delivery and improve patient-centered outcomes. Translating the results of comparative effectiveness research into practice calls for the rigors of implementation science to ensure the efficient and systematic uptake, dissemination, and endurance of these innovations. Academic medicine can help answer the call by thoroughly integrating its research and training missions with clinical care that is focused on patient-centered outcomes; building multidisciplinary teams that include a wide range of experts such as clinicians, clinical and implementation scientists, systems engineers, behavioral economists, and social scientists; and training future care providers, scientists, and educators to carry innovations forward.