Maximizing the clinical utility of comparative effectiveness research.

Providers, consumers, payers, and policy makers are awash in choices when it comes to medical decision making and need better evidence to inform their decisions. Large federal investments in comparative effectiveness research (CER) aim to fill this need. But how do we ensure the clinical utility of CER? Here, I define comparative effectiveness and clinical utility, outline metrics to evaluate clinical utility, and suggest methods for maximizing the clinical utility of CER for the various stakeholders.