[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 136 (Tuesday, July 16, 2002)]
[Notices]
[Pages 46677-46678]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-17863]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality


Nominations for Members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task 
Force

AGENCY: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), HHS.

ACTION: Notice of nominations.

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SUMMARY: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is 
inviting nominations of qualified individuals to serve as members on 
the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (the Task Force).
    AHRQ is now soliciting nominations for members of a standing Task 
Force. Members will be eligible to serve for three year terms with an 
option for reappointment. They will meet quarterly for two days in the 
Washington, DC area and will be responsible for reviewing and 
commenting on evidence reviews prior to making recommendations. The 
Task Force will work closely with interested health care organizations.
    AHRQ particularly encourages nominations of women, members of 
minority populations, and persons with disabilities. Interested 
individuals and organizations may nominate one or more qualified 
persons for membership on the Task Force.

DATES: To be considered for membership on the Task Force, written 
nominations should be submitted by September 16, 2002.

ADDRESSES: Submit your responses to: Robert Graham, M.D., ATTN: USPSTF 
Nominations, Director, Center for Practice and Technology Assessment, 
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 6010 Executive Boulevard, 
Suite 300, Rockville, Maryland 20852.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Barbara Gordon at [email protected]. 
Responses will be available for inspection at the Center for Practice 
and Technology Assessment, telephone (301) 594-4015, weekdays between 
8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. AHRQ will not reply to individual responses, but 
will consider all nominations in selecting members.
    Information regarded as private and personal, such as a nominee's 
social security number, home and Internet addresses, home telephone and 
fax numbers, or names of family members will not be disclosed to the 
public. This is in accord with agency confidentiality policies and 
Department regulations (45 CFR 5.67).

[[Page 46678]]

Basic Nomination Requirements

    Each nomination should include a current curriculum vitae and 
should state that the nominee is willing to serve as a member of the 
Task Force. AHRQ will ask persons being considered for membership to 
provide detailed information concerning such matters as financial 
holdings, consultancies, and research grants or contracts, to permit 
evaluation of possibly significant conflicts of interest. It is 
anticipated that approximately 8-10 individuals will be invited to 
serve on the Task Force. (See other important nomination requirements 
below under Nomination Selection.)
    Additional Information about the U.S. Preventive Services Task 
Force may be obtained by contacting: http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   

Background

    Under Title IX of the Public Health Service Act, AHRQ is charged 
with enhancing the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of 
health care services and access to such services. AHRQ accomplishes 
these goals through scientific research and promotion of improvements 
in clinical practice, including prevention of diseases and other health 
conditions, and improvements in the organization, financing, and 
delivery of health care services (42 U.S.C. 299-299c-7 as amended by 
Public Law 106-129 (1999)).
    The Task Force is an independent expert panel, first established in 
1984 under the auspices of the U.S. Public Health Service. Currently, 
under AHRQ's authorizing legislation noted above, the Director of AHRQ 
is responsible for convening the USPSTF to be composed of individuals 
with appropriate expertise. The mission of the Task Force is to 
rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of clinical preventive services 
and to formulate recommendations for primary care clinicians regarding 
the appropriate content of periodic health examinations. The first Task 
Force concluded its work in 1989 with the publication of the Guide to 
Clinical Preventive Services (the Guide). A second Task Force, 
appointed in 1990, concluded its work with the release of the second 
edition of the Guide in December 1995. Programmatic responsibility for 
the Task Force was transferred to AHRQ in 1995. The 1996 edition of the 
Guide, evaluating common screening tests, counseling interventions, 
immunizations and chemoprophylaxis, is available on the Internet 
(http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm) and through the U.S. 
Government Printing Office, (202) 512-1800 (refer to stock  
017-001-00525-8). In 1998, members of the third Task Force were 
appointed for five-year terms. The third Task Force has released its 
recommendations incrementally. These recommendations can be found at 
http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic;uspstfix.htm.

Nomination Selection

    Nominations for the Task Force will be selected on the basis of: 
(1) Clinical expertise in the primary health care of children and/or 
adults; (2) experience in critical evaluation of research and evidence-
based methods; (3) expertise in disease prevention and health 
promotion; (4) expertise in counseling and behavioral interventions, 
(5) national leadership within their field of expertise; (6) ability to 
work collaboratively with peers; and, (7) no substantial conflicts of 
interest that would impair the scientific integrity of the work of the 
Task Force. Some Task Force members without primary health care 
clinical experience may be selected based on their expertise in 
methodological issues such as medical decision making, clinical 
epidemiology, and health economics.

    Dated: July 9, 2002.
Carolyn M. Clancy,
Acting Director.
[FR Doc. 02-17863 Filed 7-15-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4160-90-M