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National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR)

HTA: 101 and Comparative Effectiveness Research: a 2-Part Webinar Series


We live in an age of abundant choice, especially mystifying in the choice of health care options and technologies. Too often, patients, providers, administrators, insurers, and policy makers are faced with an increasing array of decisions with few tools to help them make informed decisions. Health technology assessment (HTA) and comparative effectiveness research (CER) are two related approaches for helping to make better informed decisions. This two-part webinar series will provide a brief introductory overview of HTA and CER respectively, the methods used in each form of policy analysis, some of the major organizations involved in HTA and CER, how HTA and CER differ, and the role of HTA and CER in the individual as well as the collective healthcare decision-making process.

Educational Objectives:

  • Part I: (HTA 101: 2011 Update on Introduction to Health Technology Assessment): Gain an understanding of the origins and fundamental concepts of health technology assessment (HTA), the major organizations that produce or use HTA guidance, the primary data and integrative methods, how topics are determined, the sources of evidence, dissemination and evaluation of impact. This webinar is based on and complements HTA:101, an online primer.
  • Part II: (CER-HTA-PCOR: Converging on What Works for Patients): Learn about the evolving definitions used in comparative effectiveness research, the emerging focus on patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR), the types of methods used in conducting CER, the challenges of conducting CER, the controversies, and the relationships among CER, HTA, and PCOR.


Part I: HTA 101: 2011 Update on Introduction to Health Technology Assessment

Wednesday, August 31st, 1:00-2:00pm EST
Presenter: Cliff Goodman1, Senior Vice President and Principal, The Lewin Group

View the recording (Adobe Flash™, captions start at 00:13)

View the slides (.ppt)

Read the transcript

Read the questions and answers
Answers to questions posed during the webinar

Evaluate Part I (Viewing this module and completion of this form confers 1 hour of Medical Library Association Continuing Education credit)



Part II: CER-HTA-PCOR: Converging on What Works for Patients

Wednesday, September 7th, 1:00-2:00pm EST
Presenter:Clifford Goodman1, Senior Vice President and Principal, The Lewin Group

View the recording (Adobe Flash™, captions start at 00:10)

View the slides (.ppt)

Read the transcript

Read the questions and answers
Answers to questions posed during the webinar

Evaluate Part II (Viewing this module and completion of this form confers 1 hour of Medical Library Association Continuing Education credit)



What do I need to view the webinars?

NLM uses Adobe Connect® for Webcasting. The Adobe Flash Player plug-in for your web browser is required. This comes standard with most browser installations, but can be downloaded for free at http://www.adobe.com/. Captioning will be provided.

How do I access the webinars?

The title of the webinar will be linked to the webinar meeting room on the day of the webinar. Archived versions will be available.

Can I get continuing education (CE) credits for the webinars?

The Medical Library Association confers CE credit for people viewing these webinars. Viewers will receive 1 MLA CE credit-hour for each module of the webinar. In order to receive MLA CE credits, viewers must complete a short electronic evaluation form offered at the end of each module.


Speaker biography

1Clifford Goodman

Cliff Goodman

Cliff is a Senior Vice President and Principal at the Lewin Group, a health policy consulting firm, located in Falls Church, Virginia. Cliff has 30 years of experience working with government, industry, and nonprofit organizations in health care evaluation, primarily health technology assessment and policy analyses with related expertise in evidence-based medicine, outcomes research, health economics, regulatory policy, third-party payment, and technological innovation. In 1999, he developed HTA: 101, an introductory primer in health technology assessment, for the National Library of Medicine, updated it in 2004, and is currently completing a new revision for 2011. Cliff is the Chair of the Medicare Evidence Development & Coverage Advisory Committee (MEDCAC) for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. He is President of the professional society, Health Technology Assessment International (HTAi), and is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering. He received a Doctor of Philosophy from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Science from The Georgia Institute of Technology, and a Bachelor of Arts from Cornell University.