US Laws, Codes, Statutes & Cases

From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 24, 2002]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 24, 2002 and December 19, 2002]
[CITE: 42USC299]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
                    CHAPTER 6A--PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
 
       SUBCHAPTER VII--AGENCY FOR HEALTHCARE RESEARCH AND QUALITY
 
                Part A--Establishment and General Duties
 
Sec. 299. Mission and duties


(a) In general

    There is established within the Public Health Service an agency to 
be known as the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, which shall 
be headed by a director appointed by the Secretary. The Secretary shall 
carry out this subchapter acting through the Director.

(b) Mission

    The purpose of the Agency is to enhance the quality, 
appropriateness, and effectiveness of health services, and access to 
such services, through the establishment of a broad base of scientific 
research and through the promotion of improvements in clinical and 
health system practices, including the prevention of diseases and other 
health conditions. The Agency shall promote health care quality 
improvement by conducting and supporting--
        (1) research that develops and presents scientific evidence 
    regarding all aspects of health care, including--
            (A) the development and assessment of methods for enhancing 
        patient participation in their own care and for facilitating 
        shared patient-physician decision-making;
            (B) the outcomes, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of 
        health care practices, including preventive measures and long-
        term care;
            (C) existing and innovative technologies;
            (D) the costs and utilization of, and access to health care;
            (E) the ways in which health care services are organized, 
        delivered, and financed and the interaction and impact of these 
        factors on the quality of patient care;
            (F) methods for measuring quality and strategies for 
        improving quality; and
            (G) ways in which patients, consumers, purchasers, and 
        practitioners acquire new information about best practices and 
        health benefits, the determinants and impact of their use of 
        this information;

        (2) the synthesis and dissemination of available scientific 
    evidence for use by patients, consumers, practitioners, providers, 
    purchasers, policy makers, and educators; and
        (3) initiatives to advance private and public efforts to improve 
    health care quality.

(c) Requirements with respect to rural and inner-city areas and priority 
        populations

        (1) Research, evaluations and demonstration projects

        In carrying out this subchapter, the Director shall conduct and 
    support research and evaluations, and support demonstration 
    projects, with respect to--
            (A) the delivery of health care in inner-city areas, and in 
        rural areas (including frontier areas); and
            (B) health care for priority populations, which shall 
        include--
                (i) low-income groups;
                (ii) minority groups;
                (iii) women;
                (iv) children;
                (v) the elderly; and
                (vi) individuals with special health care needs, 
            including individuals with disabilities and individuals who 
            need chronic care or end-of-life health care.

             (2) Process to ensure appropriate research

        The Director shall establish a process to ensure that the 
    requirements of paragraph (1) are reflected in the overall portfolio 
    of research conducted and supported by the Agency.

                 (3) Office of Priority Populations

        The Director shall establish an Office of Priority Populations 
    to assist in carrying out the requirements of paragraph (1).

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, Sec. 901, as added Pub. L. 106-129, 
Sec. 2(a), Dec. 6, 1999, 113 Stat. 1653.)


                            Prior Provisions

    A prior section 299, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, Sec. 901, 
as added Pub. L. 101-239, title VI, Sec. 6103(a), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 
Stat. 2189; amended Pub. L. 102-410, Sec. 2(a), Oct. 13, 1992, 106 Stat. 
2094, established the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, prior 
to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 106-129.
    Another prior section 299, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, 
Sec. 900, as added Oct. 6, 1965, Pub. L. 89-239, Sec. 2, 79 Stat. 926; 
amended Oct. 30, 1970, Pub. L. 91-515, title I, Sec. 102, 84 Stat. 1297, 
set forth Congressional declaration of purpose of this subchapter to 
encourage and assist regional cooperative arrangements among medical 
schools, research institutions, and hospitals for research, training and 
medical data exchange, and to improve quality and capacity of health 
manpower and facilities available throughout the nation, prior to repeal 
by Pub. L. 99-117, Sec. 12(d), Oct. 7, 1985, 99 Stat. 495.
    A prior section 901 of act July 1, 1944, was classified to section 
299a of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 99-117.


                              Construction

    Pub. L. 106-129, Sec. 2(b), Dec. 6, 1999, 113 Stat. 1670, provided 
that:
    ``(1) In general.--Section 901(a) of the Public Health Service Act 
[subsec. (a) of this section] (as added by subsection (a) of this 
section) applies as a redesignation of the agency that carried out title 
IX of such Act [this subchapter] on the day before the date of the 
enactment of this Act [Dec. 6, 1999], and not as the termination of such 
agency and the establishment of a different agency. The amendment made 
by subsection (a) of this section [enacting this subchapter] does not 
affect appointments of the personnel of such agency who were employed at 
the agency on the day before such date, including the appointments of 
members of advisory councils or study sections of the agency who were 
serving on the day before such date of enactment.
    ``(2) References.--Any reference in law to the Agency for Health 
Care Policy and Research is deemed to be a reference to the Agency for 
Healthcare Research and Quality, and any reference in law to the 
Administrator for Health Care Policy and Research is deemed to be a 
reference to the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
Quality.''


                   Transitional and Savings Provisions

    Section 6103(f) of Pub. L. 101-239 provided that personnel of the 
Department of Health and Human Services employed, and Department assets 
used in connection with Department functions, on Dec. 19, 1989, be 
transferred to the Administrator for Health Care Policy and Research for 
appropriate allocation, and provided that orders, rules, regulations, 
grants, contracts, certificates, licenses, privileges, and other 
determinations, actions, or official documents would continue in effect 
according to their terms unless changed pursuant to law.

                        Executive Order No. 13017

    Ex. Ord. No. 13017, Sept. 5, 1996, 61 F.R. 47659, as amended by Ex. 
Ord. No. 13040, Mar. 25, 1997, 62 F.R. 14773; Ex. Ord. No. 13056, July 
21, 1997, 62 F.R. 39415, which established the Advisory Commission on 
Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry, was revoked 
by Ex. Ord. No. 13138, Sec. 3(a), Sept. 30, 1999, 64 F.R. 53880, 
formerly set out as a note under section 14 of the Federal Advisory 
Committee Act in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and 
Employees.

                  Section Referred to in Other Sections

    This section is referred to in section 299b-2 of this title.