11.14.11 Comparative effectiveness research is an important type of research that pits different medical treatments against one another to measure which are most effective for patients. The research can be very useful to the medical and patient communities, as it often provides cutting-edge information on treatments that are used to cure people every day.

But CER has its limitations. Its results reflect the needs of average patients -- not all patients. This is an important flaw, as each patient is unique and must be treated as such, especially in a country with a patient pool as diverse as the United States'.