For example, the Prudential Insurance Company of America has invested $20 million in a new center to do outcomes research.

"You cannot do good outcomes research or cost-effectiveness research without knowing what actually happened to the patients," he said.

Doctors would be instructed to enter true medical records into the company's special files to be used for outcomes research.

Grants to institutions for postdoctoral career development in patient-centered outcomes research.

Much of the foundation for today's interest in outcomes research was laid by studies done by Dr. Wennberg of Dartmouth almost 20 years ago.

Evolution of the mid range theory of comfort for outcomes research.

Like clinical trials, outcomes research seeks to provide evidence about which interventions work best for which types of patients and under what circumstances.

Common themes of outcomes research are:

With increasing healthcare costs, outcomes research focuses on ways to maximize efficiency, limit healthcare costs, and reduce waste in the healthcare system.

He is also very interested in effective communication, quality improvement, and outcomes research.