As health care technology surged in the seventies and eighties, so did the questions from providers and insurers regarding the safety, necessity, and outcomes from this new area. Providers wanted to know if new technologies did what they were proclaimed to do, and if they actually improved patient outcomes. Insurers questioned their efficacy and whether they should be covered. A need was demonstrated for a mechanism to research and prove or disprove the worth of each new item introduced into the medical/health care field.  Thus, the Evidence-based Practice Center and Health Technology Assessment Group at ECRI was created in response. ECRI is a nonprofit health research agency whose mission is to improve the safety, quality, and cost-effectiveness of healthcare.

Initially, ECRI was dedicated to the use of scientific protocols to assess ventilators, dialysis machines, monitors, and similar technical equipment. Today, it has expanded into using the systematic review process to assess procedures such as mammograms; investigate potential harm to patients such as adverse events; assist health plans to make coverage decisions; help hospitals make purchasing decisions; and help Medicare to make coverage decisions. In addition to healthcare technology, its other areas of focus include healthcare risk and quality management, and healthcare environmental management.

ECRI has a collaborative relationship with the World Health Organization and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and it is recognized as an independent research organization committed to advancing healthcare quality.

Carolyn Walsh