
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document not affected by Public Laws enacted between
  January 23, 2000 and December 4, 2001]
[CITE: 42USC286d]

 
                 TITLE 42--THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
 
                    CHAPTER 6A--PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
 
              SUBCHAPTER III--NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES
 
                  Part D--National Library of Medicine
 
 subpart 4--national information center on health services research and 
                         health care technology
 
Sec. 286d. National Information Center


(a) Establishment

    There is established within the Library an entity to be known as the 
National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care 
Technology (in this section referred to as the ``Center'').

(b) Purpose

    The purpose of the Center is the collection, storage, analysis, 
retrieval, and dissemination of information on health services research, 
clinical practice guidelines, and on health care technology, including 
the assessment of such technology. Such purpose includes developing and 
maintaining data bases and developing and implementing methods of 
carrying out such purpose.

(c) Electronic, convenient format; criteria for inclusion

    The Director of the Center shall ensure that information under 
subsection (b) of this section concerning clinical practice guidelines 
is collected and maintained electronically and in a convenient format. 
Such Director shall develop and publish criteria for the inclusion of 
practice guidelines and technology assessments in the information center 
database.

(d) Coordination with Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and 
        Quality

    The Secretary, acting through the Center, shall coordinate the 
activities carried out under this section through the Center with 
related activities of the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research 
and Quality.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, Sec. 478A, as added Pub. L. 103-43, 
title XIV, Sec. 1421, June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 171; amended Pub. L. 106-
129, Sec. 2(b)(2), Dec. 6, 1999, 113 Stat. 1670.)


                               Amendments

    1999--Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 106-129 substituted ``Director of the 
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality'' for ``Administrator for 
Health Care Policy and Research''.


                              Construction

    Section 1422(b) of Pub. L. 103-43 provided that: ``The amendments 
made by section 3 of Public Law 102-410 (106 Stat. 2094) [amending 
section 299a-1 of this title], by section 1421 of this Act [enacting 
this section], and by subsection (a) of this section [amending section 
299a-1 of this title] may not be construed as terminating the 
information center on health care technologies and health care 
technology assessment established under section 904 of the Public Health 
Service Act [section 299a-2 of this title], as in effect on the day 
before the date of the enactment of Public Law 102-410 [Oct. 13, 1992]. 
Such center shall be considered to be the center established in section 
478A of the Public Health Service Act, as added by section 1421 of this 
Act [this section], and shall be subject to the provisions of such 
section 478A.''
