Technology Assessments | Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ)

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) Technology Assessment Program will be posting 2 Topic Refinement draft key question documents for review on February 14, 2014. The topic refinements are entitled “Use of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in the Medicare Population” and “Pain Management Injection Therapies for Low-back Pain.” If you are interested in reviewing either of these documents, please visit:http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/ta/index.html. These documents will be available for review from 9:00 AM on February 14, 2014 to 5:00 PM on March 3, 2014 (extended due to the holiday). If you have any questions, please contact ahrqtap@ahrq.hhs.gov.

Public Review: Available Now

Topic Refinements Available for Review:

Pain Management Injection Therapies for Low-back Pain
Available: February 14 to March 3, 2014

Use of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in the Medicare Population
Available: February 14 to March 3, 2014

Technology Assessments

Technology Assessments email updates

The Technology Assessment (TA) Program at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) provides technology assessments for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). These technology assessments are used by CMS to inform its national coverage decisions for the Medicare program as well as provide information to Medicare carriers.

AHRQ's TA Program uses state-of-the-art methodologies for assessing the clinical utility of medical interventions. Technology assessments are based on a systematic review of the literature, along with appropriate qualitative and quantitative methods of synthesizing data from multiple studies.

Technology assessments may be done in-house by AHRQ staff, or they may be done in collaboration with one of ourEvidence-based Practice Centers. When available, technology assessment topics are linked to corresponding information on the CMS Web site. For additional information, please contact the Technology Assessment Program atAHRQTAP@ahrq.hhs.gov.

Potential TA topics may go through a formal AHRQ Topic Refinement process. When CMS requests a Topic Refinement, the potential TA’s key questions and overall scope are reviewed by invited stakeholders, and the resulting document is posted for public comment.

Public Review

To get complete public review, the AHRQ TA Program will post draft reports on the AHRQ TA Web site. To meet the timelines for Medicare coverage decisions mandated by the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003, draft technology assessment reports will be available for public review for a limited time. A notice will be sent out on the CMS Medicare Coverage and AHRQ Effective Health Care Email distribution lists 1 week before the posting of draft reports. Each report will be available for public review on this Web site for a total of 2 weeks.

The AHRQ TA Program supports and is committed to the transparency of its review process. Therefore, starting March 18, 2009, invited peer review comments and public review comments will be publicly posted on the TA Program Web site within 3 months after the associated final report is posted on this Web site. The report authors' responses to the comments (the "disposition of comments") will be posted on the same Web page as the associated comments.

If topics undergo a formal Topic Refinement, the Topic Refinement document containing the scope of the potential TA will be posted on the AHRQ TA Web site for 2 weeks for public comment. Once public comments have been considered and revisions have been completed, the final Topic Refinement document will be posted on the AHRQ Web site.

Technology Assessments Completed

2013

Assessment on Implantable Defibrillators and the Evidence for Primary Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death
Disposition of Comments [ PDF File—722 KB]
Fluorescence In Situ Hybridization (FISH) or Other In Situ Hybridization (ISH) Testing of Uterine Cervical Cells to Predict Precancer and Cancer
Disposition of Comments
Skin Substitutes for Treating Chronic Wounds: Final Report [ PDF File—1.4 MB]
Disposition of Comments [ PDF File—1.89 MB]
Technology Assessment on Genetic Testing or Molecular Pathology Testing of Cancers with Unknown Primary Site to Determine Origin
Disposition of Comments [ PDF File—520 KB]
Update on Genetic Tests Currently Available for Clinical Use in Common Cancers
Disposition of Comments [ PDF File—292 KB]

2012

2011

2010

2009

* Not available electronically. Contact AHRQTAP@ahrq.hhs.gov for report availability.

** Report is completed, but in the process of being prepared for posting. Please check back for updates.

Technology Assessments in Progress

Projects in final production phase (post-review)

Cardiovascular Procedures and Subsequent Cognitive Function
Genetic Testing for Risk of Recurrent Cancer
Spinal Fusion for the Treatment of Low Back Pain Secondary to Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease (Draft)***

Projects in early-mid production phase (pre-review)

The Effectiveness of Hyaluronic Acid in the Treatment of Severe Degenerative Joint Disease (DJD) of the Knee
Negative Pressure Wound Therapy Technologies

*** An updated report is being completed by the Effective Health Care Program and will be available when finished athttp://effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/search-for-guides-reviews-and-reports/?pageaction=displaytopic&topicid=410.

Technology Assessment Archive

Technology Assessments for 1990-2008These technology assessments were completed at least 4 years ago, and some as many as 20 years ago. These assessments may be outdated due to more recent research findings not included in the assessments and should be viewed cautiously in current medical practice. They are maintained for archival purposes only.

Topic Refinements in Progress

Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation—Under Review (Comment period completed).
Pain Management Injection Therapies for Low-Back Pain—Available for review soon.
Therapeutic Options for Obesity in the Medicare Population
Use of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in the Medicare Population—Available for review soon.

Current as of February 2014

Internet Citation: Technology Assessments. February 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/ta/index.html