(a) Support for efforts to develop information on quality

(1) Scientific and technical support

In its role as the principal agency for health care research and quality, the Agency may provide scientific and technical support for private and public efforts to improve health care quality, including the activities of accrediting organizations.

(2) Role of the Agency

With respect to paragraph (1), the role of the Agency shall include—

(A) the identification and assessment of methods for the evaluation of the health of—

(i) enrollees in health plans by type of plan, provider, and provider arrangements; and

(ii) other populations, including those receiving long-term care services;

(B) the ongoing development, testing, and dissemination of quality measures, including measures of health and functional outcomes;

(C) the compilation and dissemination of health care quality measures developed in the private and public sector;

(D) assistance in the development of improved health care information systems;

(E) the development of survey tools for the purpose of measuring participant and beneficiary assessments of their health care; and

(F) identifying and disseminating information on mechanisms for the integration of information on quality into purchaser and consumer decision-making processes.

(b) Centers for education and research on therapeutics

(1) In general

The Secretary, acting through the Director and in consultation with the Commissioner of Food and Drugs, shall establish a program for the purpose of making one or more grants for the establishment and operation of one or more centers to carry out the activities specified in paragraph (2).

(2) Required activities

The activities referred to in this paragraph are the following:

(A) The conduct of state-of-the-art research for the following purposes:

(i) To increase awareness of—

(I) new uses of drugs, biological products, and devices;

(II) ways to improve the effective use of drugs, biological products, and devices; and

(III) risks of new uses and risks of combinations of drugs and biological products.

(ii) To provide objective clinical information to the following individuals and entities:

(I) Health care practitioners and other providers of health care goods or services.

(II) Pharmacists, pharmacy benefit managers and purchasers.

(III) Health maintenance organizations and other managed health care organizations.

(IV) Health care insurers and governmental agencies.

(V) Patients and consumers.

(iii) To improve the quality of health care while reducing the cost of health care through—

(I) an increase in the appropriate use of drugs, biological products, or devices; and

(II) the prevention of adverse effects of drugs, biological products, and devices and the consequences of such effects, such as unnecessary hospitalizations.

(B) The conduct of research on the comparative effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, and safety of drugs, biological products, and devices.

(C) Such other activities as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, except that a grant may not be expended to assist the Secretary in the review of new drugs, biological products, and devices.

(c) Reducing errors in medicine

The Director shall, in accordance with part C, conduct and support research and build private-public partnerships to—

(1) identify the causes of preventable health care errors and patient injury in health care delivery;

(2) develop, demonstrate, and evaluate strategies for reducing errors and improving patient safety; and

(3) disseminate such effective strategies throughout the health care industry.