A primer on the assessment of medical technologies.

As health care costs continue to escalate, the assessment and management of medical technologies have become vitally important to health care providers. Evaluation and comparison of the safety, effectiveness, efficiency, cost, and clinical outcomes of new and existing technologies provide the critical information necessary to make appropriate clinical resource decisions in an increasingly cost-conscious environment. Technologies to be assessed include pharmaceuticals, devices, medical and surgical procedures, and health care delivery systems. Clinical trial results, literature reviews, expert opinions, and group consensus are used in preparing technology use decisions, which often include the preparation of background information, specific recommendations, use guidelines, and reimbursement analyses.