The Brief Life of the National Center for Health Care Technology

Abstract

The useful role of the National Center for Health Care Technology in evaluating biomedical technologies for safety, effectiveness, and Medicare coverage is examined. The demise of the Center after a three-year existence is attributed to the opposition of some professional organizations, the misconception that it was a regulatory body concerned with cost containment, and fears that it would stifle innovation and limit physicians' decisions. (KIE abstract)