§ 299b–37 — Dissemination And Building Capacity For Research

(1) The Office of Communication and Knowledge Transfer (referred to in this section as the “Office”) at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (or any other relevant office designated by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality), in consultation with the National Institutes of Health, shall broadly disseminate the research findings that are published by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute established under section 1320e(b) of this title (referred to in this section as the “Institute”) and other government-funded research relevant to comparative clinical effectiveness research. The Office shall create informational tools that organize and disseminate research findings for physicians, health care providers, patients, payers, and policy makers. The Office shall also develop a publicly available resource database that collects and contains government-funded evidence and research from public, private, not-for profit, and academic sources. (2) The Office shall provide for the dissemination of the Institute’s research findings and government-funded research relevant to comparative clinical effectiveness research to physicians, health care providers, patients, vendors of health information technology focused on clinical decision support, appropriate professional associations, and Federal and private health plans. Materials, forums, and media used to disseminate the findings, informational tools, and resource databases shall— (A) include a description of considerations for specific subpopulations, the research methodology, and the limitations of the research, and the names of the entities, agencies, instrumentalities, and individuals who conducted any research which was published by the Institute; and (B) not be construed as mandates, guidelines, or recommendations for payment, coverage, or treatment. (b) The Office, in consultation with relevant medical and clinical associations, shall assist users of health information technology focused on clinical decision support to promote the timely incorporation of research findings disseminated under subsection (a) into clinical practices and to promote the ease of use of such incorporation. (c) The Office shall establish a process to receive feedback from physicians, health care providers, patients, and vendors of health information technology focused on clinical decision support, appropriate professional associations, and Federal and private health plans about the value of the information disseminated and the assistance provided under this section. (d) Nothing in this section shall preclude the Institute from making its research findings publicly available as required under section 1320e(d)(8) of this title. (e) The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, in consultation with the National Institutes of Health, shall build capacity for comparative clinical effectiveness research by establishing a grant program that provides for the training of researchers in the methods used to conduct such research, including systematic reviews of existing research and primary research such as clinical trials. At a minimum, such training shall be in methods that meet the methodological standards adopted under section 1320e(d)(9) of this title. (f) The Secretary shall provide for the coordination of relevant Federal health programs to build data capacity for comparative clinical effectiveness research, including the development and use of clinical registries and health outcomes research data networks, in order to develop and maintain a comprehensive, interoperable data network to collect, link, and analyze data on outcomes and effectiveness from multiple sources, including electronic health records. (g) Agencies and instrumentalities of the Federal Government may enter into agreements with the Institute, and accept and retain funds, for the conduct and support of research described in this part, provided that the research to be conducted or supported under such agreements is authorized under the governing statutes of such agencies and instrumentalities.