113 STAT. 1658 PUBLIC LAW 106-129—DEC. 6, 1999 "(c) REDUCING ERRORS IN MEDICINE. — The Director shall conduct and support research and build private-public partnerships to— "(1) identify the causes of preventable health care errors for and patient injury in health care delivery; (2) develop, demonstrate, and evaluate strategies reducing errors and improving patient safety; gind "(3) disseminate such effective strategies throughout the health care industry. 42 USC 299b-2. "SEC. 913. INFORMATION ON QUALITY AND COST OF CAKE. "(a) IN GENERAL. —The Director shall— Survey. "(1) conduct a survey to collect data on a nationally rep- Effective date, resentative sample of the population on the cost, use and, for fiscal year 2001 and subsequent fiscal years, quality of health care, including the types of health care services Americans use, their access to health care services, fi*equency of use, how much is paid for the services used, the source of those payments, the types and costs of private health insurance, access, satisfaction, and quality of care for the general population including rural residents and also for populations identified in section 901(c); and "(2) develop databases and tools that provide information to States on the quality, access, and use of health care services provided to their residents. "(b) QUALITY AND OUTCOMES INFORMATION. — Effective date. "(1) IN GENERAL.— Beginning in fiscal year 2001, the Director shall ensure that the survey conducted under subsection (a)(1) will— "(A) identify determinants of health outcomes and functional status, including the health care needs of populations identified in section 901(c), provide data to study the relationships between health care quality, outcomes, access, use, and cost, measure changes over time, and monitor the overall national impact of Federal and State policy changes on health care; "(B) provide information on the quality of care and patient outcomes for fi*equently occurring clinical conditions for a nationally representative sample of the population including rural residents; and "(C) provide reliable national estimates for children and persons with specied hesdth care needs through the use of supplements or periodic expansions of the survey. In expcmding the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, as in existence on the date of the enactment of this title in fiscal year 2001 to collect information on the quality of care, the Director shall take into account any outcomes measurements generally collected by private sector accreditation organizations. Effective date. "(2) ANNUAL REPORT.— Beginning in fiscal year 2003, the Secretfiry, acting through the Director, shall submit to Congress an annual report on national trends in the qusdity of health care provided to the American people. 42 USC 299b-3. "SEC. 914. INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR HEALTH CARE IMPROVEMENT. "(a) IN GENERAL.— 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 adveuice—
�
