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Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§299b–3 Information Systems for Health Care Improvement

Title 42 › Chapter 6A— PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter VII— AGENCY FOR HEALTHCARE RESEARCH AND QUALITY › Part B— Health Care Improvement Research › § 299b–3

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

The Agency must run and fund research, tests, and projects to improve how health information is managed and shared. It focuses on seven areas: using information systems to study care quality and make comparisons of providers and plans; training clinicians and researchers; linking different health data sources and networks; improving delivery and coordination of care with real-time decision help; making data and medical terms more consistent; using computer health records for personal health files and public health monitoring; and protecting personal health information used in research and quality work. The Agency must also support demonstrations of new tools that help patients and caregivers make shared decisions. The Director must work with public and private groups to make quality and patient satisfaction information available to the public.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §299b–3

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)In order to foster a range of innovative approaches to the management and communication of health information, the Agency shall conduct and support research, evaluations, and initiatives to advance—
(1)the use of information systems for the study of health care quality and outcomes, including the generation of both individual provider and plan-level comparative performance data;
(2)training for health care practitioners and researchers in the use of information systems;
(3)the creation of effective linkages between various sources of health information, including the development of information networks;
(4)the delivery and coordination of evidence-based health care services, including the use of real-time health care decision-support programs;
(5)the utility and comparability of health information data and medical vocabularies by addressing issues related to the content, structure, definitions and coding of such information and data in consultation with appropriate Federal, State and private entities;
(6)the use of computer-based health records in all settings for the development of personal health records for individual health assessment and maintenance, and for monitoring public health and outcomes of care within populations; and
(7)the protection of individually identifiable information in health services research and health care quality improvement.
(b)The Agency shall support demonstrations into the use of new information tools aimed at improving shared decision-making between patients and their care-givers.
(c)The Director shall work with appropriate public and private sector entities to facilitate public access to information regarding the quality of and consumer satisfaction with health care.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Prior Provisions

A prior section 299b–3, act
July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, § 914, as added Pub. L. 101–239, title VI, § 6103(a), Dec. 19, 1989, 103 Stat. 2193; amended Pub. L. 102–410, §§ 5(c)(3), 6(a), 7, Oct. 13, 1992, 106 Stat. 2097, 2099, 2100; Pub. L. 103–43, title XX, § 2013(2),
June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 215, related to creation of an agenda and additional requirements, prior to the general amendment of this subchapter by Pub. L. 106–129.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 299b–3

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60