Comparing apples to apples: policymakers take a shine to comparative effectiveness research.

Comparative effectiveness research is gaining attention as a potential means to standardize quality, improve outcomes, and control medication costs. By implementing such research programs and establishing clearinghouses for comparative effectiveness data, government officials, policymakers, payers, researchers, and others hope that practitioners and consumers alike will use this information to make informed decisions about medications and other aspects of care. Pharmacists will have a role in the comparative effectiveness movement, particularly regarding their pharmacologic expertise and their skills as educators.