§299b–2 Information on Quality and Cost of Care

Summary

Collect detailed national data on health care cost, use, and, starting in fiscal year 2001, quality. The Director must run a survey that represents the whole U.S. population, including rural people and the groups named in section 299(c). The survey looks at what services people use, how often, how much is paid and by whom, insurance types and costs, access, satisfaction, and quality. The Director must also make databases and tools to give States information about access, use, and quality for their residents. Starting in fiscal year 2001 the survey must find factors that affect health and functioning, track links among quality, outcomes, access, use, and cost, measure changes over time, and monitor effects of Federal and State policy changes. It must report quality and patient outcomes for common conditions and give reliable national estimates for children and people with special health care needs using supplements or larger samples. Beginning in fiscal year 2003, the Secretary must send Congress an annual report on national trends in health care quality.