The Agency for Healthcare Policy and Research was renamed the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) under the Healthcare Research and Quality Act of 1999 which amended Title IX of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 299 et seq).

AHRQ is the health services research arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). AHRQ is a home to research centers that specialize in major areas of health care research such as: quality improvement and patient safety, outcomes and effectiveness of care, clinical practice and technology assessment, and health care organization and delivery systems. AHRQ is also a major source of funding and technical assistance for health services research and research training at leading U.S. universities and other institutions. In addition AHRQ acts as a science partner, working with the public and private sectors to build the knowledge base for what works—and does not work—in health and health care and to translate this knowledge into everyday practice and policymaking.

For more information on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and its activities, please visit the agency homepage at http://www.ahrq.gov.

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Source:
http://www.ahrq.gov/​about/​ahrqfact.htm.