Technology Assessment Program

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 are conducted by our Evidence-based Practice Center Program or may be done in house by AHRQ staff. For additional information on the EPC reports conducted for the Technology Assessment Program, please contact epc@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 3 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.

Currently available for review

Home Mechanical Ventilators
Protocol PDF - 641 KB; Appendix A PDF - 202 KB

Technology Assessments Completed

2018

Short- and Long-Term Outcomes after Bariatric Surgery in the Medicare Population PDF - 1.6 MB; Appendixes PDF - 4.7 MB
Protocol PDF - 372 KB
Disposition of Comments PDF - 691.4 KB
Definition of Treatment-Resistant Depression in the Medicare Population
Protocol PDF - 464 KB (Amended March 2017)
Disposition of Comments PDF - 769 KB

2017

Treatment Strategies for Patients with Lower Extremity Chronic Venous Disease (LECVD)
Protocol PDF - 392.95 KB
Disposition of Comments PDF - 1.61 MB

2016

Retinal Prostheses in the Medicare Population
Protocol PDF - 216.32 KB
Disposition of Comments PDF - 500.16 KB
Renal Denervation in the Medicare Population
Protocol PDF - 98.37 KB
Disposition of Comments PDF - 1.23 MB

2012

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

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

Technology Assessment Program Products in Progress

Reports available for review

Home Mechanical Ventilators [Protocol PDF - 641 KB; Appendix A PDF - 202 KB]

Reports in early-production phase (pre-review)

Skin Substitutes for Treating Chronic Wounds
Update on Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in the Medicare Population

Draft reports available for public comment

None at this time

Topics seeking supplemental evidence and data

None at this time

Additional information for technology assessments can be submitted for the topics listed above. Details and submission instructions can be found here.

Topic Refinements Completed

End Stage Renal Disease in the Medicare Population
Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation [PDF - 216 KB]
Pain Management Injection Therapies for Low-Back Pain [PDF - 77 KB]
Therapeutic Options for Obesity in the Medicare Population [PDF - 316 KB]
Use of Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy in the Medicare Population [PDF - 142 KB]

Topic Refinements in Progress

Draft Topic Refinement available for public comment

None at this time

Topic refinements in mid-production phase (mid-review)

None at this time

Technology Assessment Archive

Technology Assessments for 1990-2014
These technology assessments were completed at least 5 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.

Page last reviewed September 2018
Page originally created January 2013

Internet Citation: Technology Assessment Program. Content last reviewed September 2018. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/research/findings/ta/index.html