§ 286d. National Information Center(a) Establishment

There is established within the Library an entity to be known as the National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (in this section referred to as the “Center”).

 (b) Purpose

The purpose of the Center is the collection, storage, analysis, retrieval, and dissemination of information on health services research, clinical practice guidelines, and on health care technology, including the assessment of such technology. Such purpose includes developing and maintaining data bases and developing and implementing methods of carrying out such purpose.

 (c) Electronic, convenient format; criteria for inclusion

The Director of the Center shall ensure that information under subsection (b) concerning clinical practice guidelines is collected and maintained electronically and in a convenient format. Such Director shall develop and publish criteria for the inclusion of practice guidelines and technology assessments in the information center database.

 (d) Coordination with Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

The Secretary, acting through the Center, shall coordinate the activities carried out under this section through the Center with related activities of the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

 (July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IV, § 478A, as added Pub. L. 103–43, title XIV, § 1421, June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 171; amended Pub. L. 106–129, § 2(b)(2), Dec. 6, 1999, 113 Stat. 1670.) Amendments

1999—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 106–129 substituted “Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality” for “Administrator for Health Care Policy and Research”.

 Construction

Pub. L. 103–43, § 1422(b), June 10, 1993, 107 Stat. 172, provided that: “The amendments made by section 3 of Public Law 102–410 (106 Stat. 2094) [amending section 299a–1 of this title], by section 1421 of this Act [enacting this section], and by subsection (a) of this section [amending section 299a–1 of this title] may not be construed as terminating the information center on health care technologies and health care technology assessment established under section 904 of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 299a–2], as in effect on the day before the date of the enactment of Public Law 102–410 [Oct. 13, 1992]. Such center shall be considered to be the center established in section 478A of the Public Health Service Act [42 U.S.C. 286d], as added by section 1421 of this Act, and shall be subject to the provisions of such section 478A.”