Comparative effectiveness (CE) research gained increased prominence with its inclusion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 which allocated $1.1 billion for CE research initiatives. In response the Federal Coordinating Council for CE Research was established in the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and contracted with the Institute of Medicine to develop CE research priorities. Several of these priorities are directly, or indirectly, related to the practice of vascular surgery.