High-quality evidence for incorporating new medical devices, technology, and surgical techniques into public health care with safety, efficiency, and consideration for cost-effectiveness requires analysis [1]. Laparoscopic techniques have revolutionized surgery. Indeed, minimally invasive approaches that can dramatically improve a patient's outcomes have been evolved rapidly over the past two decades. But how fast can new surgical techniques (e.g., laparoscopic colectomy) be translated into a wide clinical use when evidence-based processes including comparative-effectiveness research (CER) have been completed? This question about laparoscopic colectomy in the United States is highlighted by Singla et al. [2] in the March issue of Surgical Endoscopy.
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