
From the U.S. Code Online via GPO Access
[wais.access.gpo.gov]
[Laws in effect as of January 23, 2000]
[Document affected by Public Law 106-525 Section 201(a)(1)]
[CITE: 42USC299a]

 
                 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. 299a. General authorities


(a) In general

    In carrying out section 299(b) of this title, the Director shall 
conduct and support research, evaluations, and training, support 
demonstration projects, research networks, and multidisciplinary 
centers, provide technical assistance, and disseminate information on 
health care and on systems for the delivery of such care, including 
activities with respect to--
        (1) the quality, effectiveness, efficiency, appropriateness and 
    value of health care services;
        (2) quality measurement and improvement;
        (3) the outcomes, cost, cost-effectiveness, and use of health 
    care services and access to such services;
        (4) clinical practice, including primary care and practice-
    oriented research;
        (5) health care technologies, facilities, and equipment;
        (6) health care costs, productivity, organization, and market 
    forces;
        (7) health promotion and disease prevention, including clinical 
    preventive services;
        (8) health statistics, surveys, database development, and 
    epidemiology; and
        (9) medical liability.

(b) Health services training grants

                           (1) In general

        The Director may provide training grants in the field of health 
    services research related to activities authorized under subsection 
    (a) of this section, to include pre- and post-doctoral fellowships 
    and training programs, young investigator awards, and other programs 
    and activities as appropriate. In carrying out this subsection, the 
    Director shall make use of funds made available under section 
    288(d)(3) of this title as well as other appropriated funds.

                          (2) Requirements

        In developing priorities for the allocation of training funds 
    under this subsection, the Director shall take into consideration 
    shortages in the number of trained researchers who are addressing 
    health care issues for the priority populations identified in 
    section 299(c)(1)(B) of this title and in addition, shall take into 
    consideration indications of long-term commitment, amongst 
    applicants for training funds, to addressing health care needs of 
    the priority populations.

(c) Multidisciplinary centers

    The Director may provide financial assistance to assist in meeting 
the costs of planning and establishing new centers, and operating 
existing and new centers, for multidisciplinary health services 
research, demonstration projects, evaluations, training, and policy 
analysis with respect to the matters referred to in subsection (a) of 
this section.

(d) Relation to certain authorities regarding social security

    Activities authorized in this section shall be appropriately 
coordinated with experiments, demonstration projects, and other related 
activities authorized by the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 301 et seq.] 
and the Social Security Amendments of 1967. Activities under subsection 
(a)(2) of this section that affect the programs under titles XVIII, XIX 
and XXI of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 1395 et seq., 1396 et 
seq., 1397aa et seq.] shall be carried out consistent with section 1142 
of such Act [42 U.S.C. 1320b-12].

(e) Disclaimer

    The Agency shall not mandate national standards of clinical practice 
or quality health care standards. Recommendations resulting from 
projects funded and published by the Agency shall include a 
corresponding disclaimer.

(f) Rule of construction

    Nothing in this section shall be construed to imply that the 
Agency's role is to mandate a national standard or specific approach to 
quality measurement and reporting. In research and quality improvement 
activities, the Agency shall consider a wide range of choices, 
providers, health care delivery systems, and individual preferences.

(g) Annual report

    Beginning with fiscal year 2003, the Director shall annually submit 
to the Congress a report regarding prevailing disparities in health care 
delivery as it relates to racial factors and socioeconomic factors in 
priority populations.

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, Sec. 902, as added Pub. L. 106-129, 
Sec. 2(a), Dec. 6, 1999, 113 Stat. 1654.)

                       References in Text

    The Social Security Act, referred to in subsec. (d), is act Aug. 14, 
1935, ch. 531, 49 Stat. 620, as amended, which is classified generally 
to chapter 7 (Sec. 301 et seq.) of this title. Titles XVIII, XIX, and 
XXI of the Act are classified generally to subchapters XVIII (Sec. 1395 
et seq.), XIX (Sec. 1396 et seq.), and XXI (Sec. 1397aa et seq.) of 
chapter 7 of this title. For complete classification of this Act to the 
Code, see section 1305 of this title and Tables.
    The Social Security Amendments of 1967, referred to in subsec. (d), 
is Pub. L. 90-248, Jan. 2, 1968, 81 Stat. 821, as amended. For complete 
classification of this Act to the Code, see Short Title of 1968 
Amendment note set out under section 1305 of this title and Tables.


                            Prior Provisions

    A prior section 299a, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, Sec. 902, 
as added Pub. L. 101-239, title VI, Sec. 6103(a), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 
Stat. 2189; amended Pub. L. 101-639, Sec. 3(d), Nov. 28, 1990, 104 Stat. 
4603; Pub. L. 102-410, Sec. 2(b), Oct. 13, 1992, 106 Stat. 2094, 
required Administrator to conduct and support research, demonstration 
projects, evaluations, training, guideline development, and 
dissemination of information on health care services and on systems for 
delivery of such services, prior to the general amendment of this 
subchapter by Pub. L. 106-129.
    Another prior section 299a, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, 
Sec. 901, as added Oct. 6, 1965, Pub. L. 89-239, Sec. 2, 79 Stat. 926; 
amended Oct. 15, 1968, Pub. L. 90-574, title I, Secs. 101, 102, 107, 82 
Stat. 1005, 1006; June 30, 1970, Pub. L. 91-296, title IV, 
Sec. 401(b)(1)(F), 84 Stat. 352; Oct. 30, 1970, Pub. L. 91-515, title I, 
Sec. 103, 84 Stat. 1298; June 18, 1973, Pub. L. 93-45, title I, 
Sec. 110, 87 Stat. 93, authorized appropriations for grants and 
contracts to carry out purposes of this subchapter and set forth extent 
of and limitations on grants, prior to repeal by Pub. L. 99-117, 
Sec. 12(d), Oct. 7, 1985, 99 Stat. 495.
    A prior section 902 of act July 1, 1944, was classified to section 
299b of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 99-117.
    Prior sections 299a-1 to 299a-3 were omitted in the general 
amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 106-129.
    Section 299a-1, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, Sec. 903, as 
added Pub. L. 101-239, title VI, Sec. 6103(a), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 
2190; amended Pub. L. 102-410, Sec. 3, Oct. 13, 1992, 106 Stat. 2094; 
Pub. L. 103-43, title XIV, Sec. 1422(a), June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 172, 
related to public dissemination of information about studies and 
projects. See section 299c-3 of this title.
    A prior section 903 of act July 1, 1944, was classified to section 
299c of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 99-117.
    Section 299a-2, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, Sec. 904, as 
added Pub. L. 101-239, title VI, Sec. 6103(a), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 
2191; amended Pub. L. 102-410, Sec. 4(a), Oct. 13, 1992, 106 Stat. 2095; 
Pub. L. 103-43, title XX, Sec. 2013(1), June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 214, 
related to health care technology assessment. See section 299b-5 of this 
title.
    A prior section 904 of act July 1, 1944, was classified to section 
299d of this title prior to repeal by Pub. L. 99-117.
    Section 299a-3, act July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, Sec. 905, as 
added Pub. L. 105-115, title IV, Sec. 409, Nov. 21, 1997, 111 Stat. 
2371, established demonstration program regarding centers for education 
and research on therapeutics. See section 299b-1(b) of this title.


                Reducing Administrative Health Care Costs

    Pub. L. 103-43, title XIX, Sec. 1909, June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 205, 
as amended by Pub. L. 106-129, Sec. 2(b)(2), Dec. 6, 1999, 113 Stat. 
1670, provided that: ``The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 
acting through the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and, to 
the extent possible, in consultation with the Health Care Financing 
Administration, may fund research to develop a text-based standardized 
billing process, through the utilization of text-based information 
retrieval and natural language processing techniques applied to 
automatic coding and analysis of textual patient discharge summaries and 
other text-based electronic medical records, within a parallel general 
purpose (shared memory) high performance computing environment. The 
Secretary shall determine whether such a standardized approach to 
medical billing, through the utilization of the text-based hospital 
discharge summary as well as electronic patient records can reduce the 
administrative billing costs of health care delivery.''
