Applications of comparative effectiveness research to case management.

Purpose/objectives: This article is intended to update case managers on recent advances in comparative effectiveness research (CER) led by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The article explores potential implications and applications of CER findings to case management practice.

Primary Practice Settings: All case management settings.

Findings/conclusions: An ongoing national movement to advance CER is intended to provide health care professionals with answers to questions about which diagnostic methods, therapies, devices, and services, among the available alternatives for a given disease or condition, may be most effective and safe for individual patients.

Implications For Case Management: Knowledge and application of CER findings may benefit case managers in their roles of improving resource utilization, controlling costs, providing stewardship, coordinating care, educating patients, and promoting treatment adherence and self-sufficiency. The findings from a 2013 study on the comparative effectiveness of outpatient case management programs have implications for improving case management models, reinforcing standards in the profession, and advancing research in the field. Continuing education on CER is important for promoting positive values and appropriate applications of its findings to case management practice.