Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 114 Part 4.djvu/443

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PUBLIC LAW 106-525 —NOV. 22, 2000 114 STAT. 2505 TITLE II—HEALTH DISPARITIES RE- SEARCH BY AGENCY FOR HEALTH- CARE RESEARCH AND QUALITY SEC. 201. HEALTH DISPARITIES RESEARCH BY AGENCY FOR HEALTH- CARE RESEARCH AND QUALITY. (a) IN GENERAL. —Part A of title IX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299 et seq.) is amended— (1) in section 902, by striking subsection (g); and 42 USC 299a. (2) by adding at the end the following: •*SEC. 903. RESEARCH ON HEALTH DISPARITIES. 42 USC 299a-l. "(a) IN GENERAL.—The Director shall— "(1) conduct and support research to identify populations for which there is a significant disparity in the quality, outcomes, cost, or use of health care services or access to and satisfaction with such services, as compared to the general population; "(2) conduct and support research on the causes of and barriers to reducing the health disparities identified in paragraph (1), taking into account such factors as socioeconomic status, attitudes toward health, the language spoken, the extent of formal education, the area or community in which the population resides, and other factors the Director determines to be appropriate; "(3) conduct and support research and support demonstration projects to identify, test, and evaluate strategies for reducing or eliminating health disparities, including development or identification of effective service delivery models, and disseminate effective strategies and models; "(4) develop measures and tools for the gissessment gmd improvement of the outcomes, quality, and appropriateness of health care services provided to health disparity populations; "(5) in carrying out section 902(c), provide support to increase the number of researchers who are members of health disparity populations, and the health services research capacity of institutions that train such researchers; and "(6) beginning with fiscal year 2003, annually submit to Reports, the Congress a report regarding prevailing disparities in health care delivery as it relates to racial factors and socioeconomic factors in priority populations. "(b) RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.— "(1) IN GENERAL.—In carrying out subsection (a), the Director shall conduct and support research and support demonstrations to— "(A) identify the clinical, cultural, socioeconomic, geographic, and organizational factors that contribute to health disparities, including minority health disparity populations, which research shall include behavioral research, such as examination of patterns of clinical decisionmaking, and research on access, outreach, and the availability of related support services (such as cultural and linguistic services); "(B) identify and evaluate clinical and organizational strategies to improve the quality, outcomes, and access