---
kind: "section"
citation: "42 U.S.C. § 299b–33"
title: "42"
title_heading: "The Public Health and Welfare"
number: "299b–33"
heading: "Health care delivery system research"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/42/299b-33"
units:
  - "Chapter 6A — Public Health Service"
  - "Subchapter VII — Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality"
  - "Part D — Health Care Quality Improvement"
  - "Subpart 2 — health care quality improvement programs"
---

# §299b–33. Health care delivery system research

- (a) **Purpose—** The purposes of this section are to—
  - (1) enable the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) to identify, develop, evaluate, disseminate, and provide training in innovative methodologies and strategies for quality improvement [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) in the delivery of health [care services](/usc/42/300z–1.md?p=a-7) that represent best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) (referred to as “best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19)”) in health care quality, safety, and value; and
  - (2) ensure that the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) is accountable for implementing a model to pursue such research in a collaborative manner with other related Federal [agencies](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1).
- (b) **General functions of the Center—** The Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety of the [Agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) for Healthcare Research and Quality (referred to in this section as the “Center”), or any other relevant [agency](/usc/42/8262.md?p=1) or department designated by the [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5), shall—
  - (1) carry out its functions using research from a variety of disciplines, which may include epidemiology, health [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a), sociology, psychology, human factors engineering, biostatistics, health economics, [clinical research](/usc/42/284d.md?p=b), and health informatics;
  - (2) conduct or support activities consistent with the purposes described in [subsection (a)](#a), and for—
    - (A) best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) for quality improvement [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) in the delivery of health [care services](/usc/42/300z–1.md?p=a-7); and
    - (B) that include changes in processes of care and the redesign of systems used by [providers](/usc/42/299b–21.md?p=8) that will reliably result in intended health outcomes, improve patient safety, and reduce medical errors (such as skill development for [health care providers](/usc/42/300aa–33.md?p=1) in team-based health care delivery and rapid cycle process improvement) and facilitate adoption of improved workflow;
  - (3) identify [health care providers](/usc/42/300aa–33.md?p=1), including health care systems, single institutions, and individual [providers](/usc/42/299b–21.md?p=8), that—
    - (A) deliver consistently high-quality, efficient health [care services](/usc/42/300z–1.md?p=a-7) (as determined by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c)); and
    - (B) employ best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) that are adaptable and scalable to diverse health care settings or effective in improving care across diverse settings;
  - (4) assess research, evidence, and knowledge about what strategies and methodologies are most effective in improving health care delivery;
  - (5) find ways to translate such information rapidly and effectively into practice, and document the sustainability of those improvements;
  - (6) create strategies for quality improvement through the development of tools, methodologies, and interventions that can successfully reduce variations in the delivery of health care;
  - (7) identify, measure, and improve organizational, human, or other causative factors, including those related to the culture and system design of a health care organization, that contribute to the success and sustainability of specific quality improvement and patient safety strategies;
  - (8) provide for the development of best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) in the delivery of health [care services](/usc/42/300z–1.md?p=a-7) that—
    - (A) have a high likelihood of success, based on structured review of empirical evidence;
    - (B) are specified with sufficient detail of the individual processes, steps, training, skills, and knowledge required for implementation and incorporation into workflow of health care practitioners in a variety of settings;
    - (C) are designed to be readily adapted by [health care providers](/usc/42/300aa–33.md?p=1) in a variety of settings; and
    - (D) where applicable, assist [health care providers](/usc/42/300aa–33.md?p=1) in working with other [health care providers](/usc/42/300aa–33.md?p=1) across the continuum of care and in engaging patients and their families in improving the care and patient health outcomes;
  - (9) provide for the funding of the activities of organizations with recognized expertise and excellence in improving the delivery of health [care services](/usc/42/300z–1.md?p=a-7), including children’s health care, by involving multiple disciplines, managers of health care entities, broad development and training, patients, caregivers and families, and frontline health care workers, including activities for the examination of strategies to share best quality improvement [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) and to promote excellence in the delivery of health [care services](/usc/42/300z–1.md?p=a-7); and
  - (10) build capacity at the [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f) and community level to lead quality and safety efforts through education, training, and mentoring [programs](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) to carry out the activities under paragraphs [(1)](#b-1) through [(9)](#b-9).
- (c) **Research functions of Center—**
  - (1) **In general—** The Center shall support, such as through a contract or other mechanism, research on health care delivery system improvement and the development of tools to facilitate adoption of best [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) that improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care delivery [services](/usc/42/201.md?p=a). Such support may include establishing a Quality Improvement Network Research [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) for the purpose of testing, scaling, and disseminating of interventions to improve quality and efficiency in health care. Recipients of funding under the [Program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) may include national, [State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f), multi-[State](/usc/42/201.md?p=f), or multi-site quality improvement networks.
  - (2) **Research requirements—** The research conducted pursuant to [paragraph (1)](#c-1) shall—
    - (A) address the priorities identified by the [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) in the national strategic plan established under [section 280j of this title](/usc/42/280j.md);
    - (B) identify areas in which evidence is insufficient to identify strategies and methodologies, taking into consideration areas of insufficient evidence identified by the entity with a contract under [section 1395aaa(a) of this title](/usc/42/1395aaa.md?p=a) in the report required under [section 280j–2 of this title](/usc/42/280j–2.md);
    - (C) address concerns identified by health care institutions and [providers](/usc/42/299b–21.md?p=8) and communicated through the Center pursuant to [subsection (d)](#d);
    - (D) reduce preventable morbidity, mortality, and associated costs of morbidity and mortality by building capacity for patient safety research;
    - (E) support the discovery of processes for the reliable, safe, efficient, and responsive delivery of health care, taking into account discoveries from [clinical research](/usc/42/284d.md?p=b) and comparative effectiveness research;
    - (F) allow communication of research findings and translate evidence into practice recommendations that are adaptable to a variety of settings, and which, as soon as practicable after the establishment of the Center, shall include—
      - (i) the implementation of a national application of Intensive Care Unit improvement [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) relating to the adult (including geriatric), pediatric, and neonatal patient populations;
      - (ii) practical methods for addressing health care associated infections, including Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus and Vancomycin-Resistant Entercoccus infections and other emerging infections; and
      - (iii) practical methods for reducing preventable [hospital](/usc/42/300s–3.md?p=1) admissions and readmissions;
    - (G) expand demonstration [projects](/usc/42/13641.md?p=2) for improving the quality of children’s health care and the use of health information technology, such as through Pediatric Quality Improvement Collaboratives and Learning Networks, consistent with provisions of [section 1320b–9a of this title](/usc/42/1320b–9a.md) for assessing and improving quality, where applicable;
    - (H) identify and mitigate hazards by—
      - (i) analyzing events reported to patient safety reporting systems and [patient safety organizations](/usc/42/299b–21.md?p=4); and
      - (ii) using the results of such analyses to develop scientific methods of response to such events;
    - (I) include the conduct of systematic reviews of existing [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19) that improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of health care delivery, as well as new research on improving such [practices](/usc/42/17061.md?p=19); and
    - (J) include the examination of how to measure and evaluate the progress of quality and [patient safety activities](/usc/42/299b–21.md?p=5).
- (d) **Dissemination of research findings—**
  - (1) **Public availability—** The [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) shall make the research findings of the Center available to the public through multiple media and appropriate formats to reflect the varying needs of [health care providers](/usc/42/300aa–33.md?p=1) and consumers and diverse levels of health literacy.
  - (2) **Linkage to health information technology—** The [Secretary](/usc/42/201.md?p=c) shall ensure that research findings and results generated by the Center are shared with the Office of the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology and used to inform the activities of the health information technology extension [program](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4) under [section 300jj–32 of this title](/usc/42/300jj–32.md), as well as any relevant standards, certification criteria, or implementation specifications.
- (e) **Prioritization—** The [Director](/usc/42/11851.md?p=5) shall identify and regularly update a list of processes or systems on which to focus research and dissemination activities of the Center, taking into account—
  - (1) the cost to Federal health [programs](/usc/42/274l–1.md?p=4);
  - (2) consumer assessment of health care experience;
  - (3) [provider](/usc/42/299b–21.md?p=8) assessment of such processes or systems and opportunities to minimize distress and injury to the health care workforce;
  - (4) the potential impact of such processes or systems on health status and function of patients, including vulnerable populations including children;
  - (5) the areas of insufficient evidence identified under [subsection (c)(2)(B)](#c-2-B); and
  - (6) the evolution of meaningful use of health information technology, as defined in [section 300jj of this title](/usc/42/300jj.md).
- (f) **Coordination—** The Center shall coordinate its activities with activities conducted by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation established under [section 1315a of this title](/usc/42/1315a.md).
- (g) **Funding—** There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $20,000,000 for fiscal years 2010 through 2014.

## Source credit

(July 1, 1944, ch. 373, title IX, § 933, as added Pub. L. 111–148, title III, § 3501, Mar. 23, 2010, 124 Stat. 508.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Prior Provisions

A prior section 933 of act July 1, 1944, was renumbered section 943 and is classified to section 299c–2 of this title.