[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 141 (Monday, July 24, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 37898-37900]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-17978]



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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Office of the Secretary


Agency for Health Care Policy and Research; General 
Reorganization; Statement of Organization, Functions, and Delegations 
of Authority

    Part H, Public Health Service (PHS), Chapter HP (Agency for Health 
Care Policy and Research), of the Statement of Organization, Functions, 
and Delegations of Authority for the Department of Health and Human 
Services (55 FR 12286-89, April 2, 1990, as amended at 58 FR 16534, 
March 29, 1993) is amended to reflect organizational changes within the 
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.

Agency for Health Care Policy and Research

    Under heading Section HP-20, Organization and Functions, beginning 
with the title, Office of the Administrator (HPA), delete all titles 
and statements and substitute the following:
    Office of the Administrator (HPA). Directs the activities of the 
Agency for Health Care Policy and Research to ensure the achievement of 
strategic objectives. Specifically: (1) Determines that Agency programs 
support Administration goals and objectives; (2) plans, directs, 
coordinates, and evaluates the administrative policies and procedures, 
the research and training programs, and the dissemination activities of 
the Agency; (3) manages the Equal Employment Opportunity programs; (4) 
maintains the scientific integrity of the research program and the 
staff; (5) establishes Agency program and budget priorities; (6) 
represents the Agency within the Public Health Service, at the highest 
levels of Government, and to the public; (7) makes recommendations to 
the Secretary on Federal reimbursement programs with respect to health 
care technologies and health care policies and research.
    Office of Management (HPA6). Directs and coordinates Agency-wide 
administrative activities. Specifically: (1) Manages and coordinates 
the human resource activities of the Agency 

[[Page 37899]]
including personnel operations and the allocation of personnel 
resources; (2) provides organizational and management analysis, 
develops policies and procedures, and implements Agency management 
policies; (3) coordinates the Agency Federal Managers' Financial 
Integrity Act and Privacy Act activities; (4) plans and directs 
financial management activities including budget formulation, 
presentation, and execution functions and supports the linking of the 
budget and planning process; (5) conducts all business management 
aspects of the review, negotiation, award and administration of Agency 
grants and contracts; (6) manages the analysis, selection, and 
implementation of the information resource management and 
telecommunication systems; (7) provides Agency support services 
including the acquisition, management, and maintenance of supplies, 
equipment, and space.
    Office of Planning and Evaluation (HPA7). Directs and coordinates 
the strategic planning, program evaluation, and legislative activities 
of the Agency. Specifically: (1) Directs and coordinates program 
planning activities of the Agency and prepares the strategic plan; (2) 
plans and manages the program evaluation activities of the Agency 
including evaluations of dissemination, training, and research 
programs; (3) plans and coordinates Agency research activities that 
focus on special populations and initiatives; (4) coordinates the 
legislative activities of the Agency including the development of 
legislative proposals and analysis of Federal health legislative 
initiatives; (5) manages and coordinates development and clearance of 
proposed regulations, reports, and program announcements; (6) 
represents the Agency in meetings with other Public Health Service and 
Department planning, evaluation, and legislative offices.
    Office of Policy Analysis (HPA8). Provides support to the 
Administrator and technical assistance to the Public Health Service and 
other Department components in the formulation and analysis of national 
health care policy. Specifically: (1) Reviews Agency research plans and 
programs to determine their relevance to national policy issues; (2) 
analyzes health policy issues of national and regional significance 
using data and research produced by the Agency; (3) synthesizes 
research findings on policy and program issues of concern to the 
Administrator; (4) conducts and supports special projects or studies to 
inform health policy; (5) develops and manages an extramural centers 
program designed to provide timely studies of immediate health policy 
issues; (6) represents the Agency in meetings with components of the 
Public Health Service, the Department, and other government agencies 
and with private organizations on health policy issues.
    Office of Scientific Affairs (HPA9). Directs the scientific review 
process for grants and contracts, the assignment of projects to Agency 
Centers, manages Agency research training programs, and evaluates the 
medical and scientific contribution of proposed and on-going research, 
demonstrations, and evaluations. Specifically: (1) Directs the process 
for selecting, reviewing, and funding grants and reviewing contracts 
for scientific merit and program relevance; (2) assigns grant proposals 
to Centers for administrative action; (3) manages the process for 
making funding decisions for grants; (4) directs Agency research 
training programs and implementation of the National Research Service 
Award authority; (5) manages the scientific integrity processes for the 
intramural and extramural programs of the Agency; (6) represents the 
Agency in meetings with experts and organizations on issues related to 
the administration of the scientific program.
    Center for Information Technology (HPH). Conducts and supports 
studies of health information systems, computerized patient record 
systems, and medical decision analysis. Specifically: (1) Manages and 
conducts research, demonstrations, and evaluations of computerized 
health care information systems; (2) directs studies of data standards, 
security, efficiency, and linkages; (3) directs studies of medical 
decision making and decision support systems; (4) directs studies of 
provider adoption and implementation of automated medical records, 
information, and decision systems; (5) represents the Agency in 
meetings with international and domestic experts and organizations 
concerned with developing and using medical information systems.
    Office of the Forum for Quality and Effectiveness in Health Care 
(HPJ). Arranges for the development and evaluation of clinical practice 
guidelines. Specifically: (1) Supports the development and evaluation 
of clinical practice guidelines dealing with the prevention, diagnosis, 
and treatment of illness; (2) provides national leadership on guideline 
development and assessment of methodologies; (3) supports development 
of medical review criteria, performance measures, and standards of 
quality; (4) conducts and supports studies of the economic impact of 
Agency guidelines; (5) represents the Agency in meetings with experts 
and organizations involved in producing, implementing, and evaluating 
clinical practice guidelines.
    Center for Health Care Technology (HPK). Conducts and supports a 
comprehensive program of health care technology assessment. 
Specifically: (1) Manages and conducts studies of the safety, efficacy, 
effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of health technologies; (2) 
prepares recommendation on whether specific technologies should be paid 
for by Federal programs that provide or reimburse for health services 
including recommendations that such payment be subject to specific 
conditions, requirements, or limitation; (3) maintains liaison with 
other public and private organizations and entities with regard to 
assessment strategies, priorities, and methodologies; (4) represents 
the Agency in meetings with international and domestic experts and 
organizations concerned with health technology assessment.
    Center for Outcomes and Effectiveness Research (HPB). Conducts and 
supports studies of the outcomes and effectiveness of diagnostic, 
therapeutic, and preventive health care services and procedures. 
Specifically: (1) Manages and conducts research, evaluations, and 
demonstrations of the effectiveness of clinical interventions in terms 
of patient outcomes; (2) directs an extramural research centers program 
on medical effectiveness and patient outcomes; (3) directs and supports 
a program of clinical research on the effectiveness of diagnostic and 
therapeutic approaches to illness; (4) manages and conducts research 
and related activities to improve methods and measures for 
effectiveness research; (5) represents the Agency in meetings with 
domestic and international experts and organizations concerned with 
medical effectiveness and outcomes research.
    Center for Delivery Systems Research (HPL). Conducts and supports 
studies of the structure, behavior, and performance of acute and long 
term health care systems. Specifically: (1) Manages and conducts 
studies of trends in the use and cost of care provided by public and 
private health care systems; (2) directs epidemiological studies of 
patterns of care and changes in the treatment of illness; (3) designs 
and manages large administrative data sets produced by states or claims 
processors for intramural and extramural research including policy and 
methodological studies; (4) conducts and supports research, 
demonstrations, and evaluations of institutional and 

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community based long term care; (5) represents the Agency in meetings 
with international and domestic experts and organizations involved in 
developing analytic data sets and analyzing patterns of treatment and 
regional and institutional differences in care.
    Center for Health Expenditures and Insurance Studies (HPM). 
Conducts and supports studies of expenditures and sources of payment 
for personal health care services and the development of large primary 
data sets for policy research and analyses. Specifically: (1) Plans and 
manages national medical expenditure surveys; (2) plans and directs 
surveys of employers and other sources of insurance coverage and health 
benefits; (3) plans and conducts policy research on patterns of health 
expenditures, insurance coverage, and use of personal health services; 
(4) develops microsimulation models for policy research; (5) conducts 
and supports statistical and methodological research on survey design, 
sampling and estimation techniques, and data quality; (6) provides 
statistical support to the Agency; (7) represents the Agency in 
meetings with Federal agencies and experts on health policy issues 
especially issues related to health expenditures and insurance and 
Federal and state health care programs.
    Center for Cost and Financing (HPN). Conducts and supports studies 
of the cost and financing of health care services. Specifically: (1) 
Manages and conducts research, demonstrations and evaluations of the 
cost of medical care and the performance of health care markets; (2) 
directs studies of the productivity of health providers, managed care 
organizations, and insurers; (3) directs analyses of the legal and 
economic consequences of malpractice insurance; (4) directs studies of 
the use, cost, and financing of care for HIV; (5) represents the Agency 
in meeting with international and domestic experts and organizations 
concerned with the cost and financing of health care and care for 
patients with HIV.
    Center for Quality Measurement and Improvement (HPP). Conducts and 
supports research on the measurement and improvement of the quality of 
health care. Specifically: (1) Conducts and supports research, 
demonstrations, and evaluations of the quality of health care; (2) 
designs, conducts, and supports consumer surveys to assess the quality 
of and satisfaction with health care services and systems; (3) develops 
and tests measures and methods for evaluating the quality of care; (4) 
provides technical assistance and gathers information on the use of 
quality measures and consumer information and the resulting effects; 
(5) represents the Agency in meetings with domestic and international 
experts and organizations concerned with measuring and evaluating the 
quality of care.
    Center for Primary Care Research (HPO). Conducts and supports 
studies of primary care, and clinical, preventive and public health 
policies and systems. Specifically: (1) Manages and conducts research, 
demonstrations, and evaluations of primary care settings and systems; 
(2) manages and conducts studies of rural health care services and 
systems: (3) directs studies of the care of special populations; (4) 
directs studies of the effectiveness of education, supply, and 
distribution of the health care workforce; (5) represents the Agency in 
meetings with international and domestic experts and organizations 
concerned with primary care.
    Center for Health Information Dissemination (HPG). Designs, 
develops, implements, and manages programs for disseminating the 
results of Agency activities. Specifically: (1) Conducts and supports 
research on the techniques of providing information to the health care 
industry, health care providers, consumers, policy makers, researchers, 
and the media; (2) manages the editing, publication, and information 
distribution processes of the Agency; (3) provides the administrative 
support for reference services and the distribution of technical 
information to Agency staff; (4) manages the public affairs activities 
of the Agency, an Agency clearinghouse for responding to requests for 
information and technical assistance, and a consumer information 
program; (5) directs a user liaison program to provide health care 
research and policy findings to Federal, state and local public 
officials, providers, payers, business, and the health care industry; 
(6) evaluates the effectiveness of Agency dissemination strategies and 
implements changes indicated by such evaluations; (7) represents the 
Agency in meetings with Department and Public Health Service 
representatives on press releases, media events, and publication 
clearance.
    Under the heading Section HP-30, Delegations of Authority, delete 
the statement and retitle as Section HP-30, Order of Succession and add 
the following: During the absence or disability of the Administrator, 
or in the event of a vacancy in that office, the first official listed 
below who is available shall act as Administrator, except during 
planned periods of absence, when the Administrator may specify a 
different order of succession. The order of succession will be:
    (1) Deputy Administrator
    (2) Executive Officer
    (3) Director, Office of Scientific Affairs
    (4) Director, Office of Planning and Evaluation
    (5) Director, Office of Policy Analysis
    Insert heading Section HP-40, Delegations of Authority and add the 
following: All delegations and redelegations of authority to officers 
and employees of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research which 
were in effect immediately prior to the effective date of this 
reorganization shall continue in effect pending further redelegation, 
provided they are consistent with this reorganization.

    Dated: July 14, 1995.
Donna E. Shalala,
Secretary, Department of Health and Human Services.
[FR Doc. 95-17978 Filed 7-21-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M