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 website. 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 website 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 website within 3 months after the associated final report is posted on this website. The report authors' responses to the comments (the "disposition of comments") will be posted on the same webpage 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 website 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 website.

Technology Assessments Completed

2020

Skin Substitutes for Treating Chronic Wounds
Protocol [Amended July 24, 2019, and October 3, 2019]
Disposition of Comments (PDF - 1.2 MB)
Noninvasive Positive Pressure Ventilation in the Home
Protocol (PDF - 641 KB); Protocol Appendix A (PDF - 202 KB)
Disposition of Comments (PDF - 803.5 KB)

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)

* 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 in late-production phase (post-review):

End Stage Renal Disease in the Medicare Population
Protocol (PDF - 453 KB) [Amended June 26, 2019]

Topics seeking supplemental evidence and data

Platelet-rich Plasma for Wound Care in the Medicare Population [Accepting submissions until April 22, 2020]
Protocol (PDF - 98.6 KB)

Topic Refinements Completed

End Stage Renal Disease in the Medicare Population (PDF - 260 KB)
Catheter Ablation for Atrial Fibrillation (PDF - 216 KB)
Home Mechanical Ventilators (PDF - 144 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

Validity and Role of Liquid Biopsy in Detection and Management of Cancer in the Medicare Population

Technology Assessment Archive

Technology Assessments for 1990-2015
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.