(a) Reports to Congress and President; preparation; review by Office of Management and Budget

(1) Not later than March 15 of each year, the Secretary shall submit to the President and Congress the following reports:

(A) A report on health care costs and financing. Such report shall include a description and analysis of the statistics collected under section 242k(b)(1)(G) of this title.

(B) A report on health resources. Such report shall include a description and analysis, by geographical area, of the statistics collected under section 242k(b)(1)(E) of this title.

(C) A report on the utilization of health resources. Such report shall include a description and analysis, by age, sex, income, and geographic area, of the statistics collected under section 242k(b)(1)(F) of this title.

(D) A report on the health of the Nation’s people. Such report shall include a description and analysis, by age, sex, income, and geographic area, of the statistics collected under section 242k(b)(1)(A) of this title.

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(2) The reports required in paragraph (1) shall be prepared through the National Center for Health Statistics.

(3) The Office of Management and Budget may review any report required by paragraph (1) of this subsection before its submission to Congress, but the Office may not revise any such report or delay its submission beyond the date prescribed for its submission, and may submit to Congress its comments respecting any such report.

(b) Grants or contracts; applications, submittal; application peer review group, findings and recommendations; necessity of favorable recommendation; appointments

(1) No grant or contract may be made under section 242b, 242k, or 242l of this title unless an application therefor has been submitted to the Secretary in such form and manner, and containing such information, as the Secretary may by regulation prescribe and unless a peer review group referred to in paragraph (2) has recommended the application for approval.

(2)(A) Each application submitted for a grant or contract under section 242k of this title in an amount exceeding $50,000 of direct costs and for a health services research, evaluation, or demonstration project, or for a grant under section 242k(m) of this title, shall be submitted to a peer review group for an evaluation of the technical and scientific merits of the proposals made in each such application. The Director of the National Center for Health Statistics shall establish such peer review groups as may be necessary to provide for such an evaluation of each such application.

(B) A peer review group to which an application is submitted pursuant to subparagraph (A) shall report its finding and recommendations respecting the application to the Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Center for Health Statistics, in such form and manner as the Secretary shall by regulation prescribe. The Secretary may not approve an application described in such subparagraph unless a peer review group has recommended the application for approval.

(C) The Secretary, acting through the Director of the National Center for Health Statistics, shall make appointments to the peer review groups required in subparagraph (A) from among persons who are not officers or employees of the United States and who possess appropriate technical and scientific qualifications, except that peer review groups regarding grants under section 242k(m) of this title may include appropriately qualified such officers and employees.

(c) Development and dissemination of statistics

The Secretary shall take such action as may be necessary to assure that statistics developed under sections 242b and 242k of this title are of high quality, timely, comprehensive as well as specific, standardized, and adequately analyzed and indexed, and shall publish, make available, and disseminate such statistics on as wide a basis as is practicable.

(d) Information; publication restrictions

No information, if an establishment or person supplying the information or described in it is identifiable, obtained in the course of activities undertaken or supported under section 242b, 242k, or 242l of this title may be used for any purpose other than the purpose for which it was supplied unless such establishment or person has consented (as determined under regulations of the Secretary) to its use for such other purpose; and in the case of information obtained in the course of health statistical or epidemiological activities under section 242b or 242k of this title, such information may not be published or released in other form if the particular establishment or person supplying the information or described in it is identifiable unless such establishment or person has consented (as determined under regulations of the Secretary) to its publication or release in other form.

(e) Payment procedures; advances or reimbursement; installments; conditions; reductions

(1) Payments of any grant or under any contract under section 242b, 242k, or 242l of this title may be made in advance or by way of reimbursement, and in such installments and on such conditions, as the Secretary deems necessary to carry out the purposes of such section.

(2) The amounts otherwise payable to any person under a grant or contract made under section 242b, 242k, or 242l of this title shall be reduced by—

(A) amounts equal to the fair market value of any equipment or supplies furnished to such person by the Secretary for the purpose of carrying out the project with respect to which such grant or contract is made, and

(B) amounts equal to the pay, allowances, traveling expenses, and related personnel expenses attributable to the performance of services by an officer or employee of the Government in connection with such project, if such officer or employee was assigned or detailed by the Secretary to perform such services,

but only if such person requested the Secretary to furnish such equipment or supplies, or such services, as the case may be.

(f) Contracts without regard to section 3324 of title 31 and section 6101 of title 41

Contracts may be entered into under section 242b or 242k of this title without regard to section 3324 of title 31 and section 6101 of title 41.