Which agency is tasked with researching outcomes, cost, quality, use, and access in health care?

• A. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
• B. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
• C. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
• D. Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

Answer: (A)

Focusing on how care is delivered and how well it works is the heart of health services research. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is the federal office within the Department of Health and Human Services dedicated to this area. It funds and conducts research on outcomes, costs, quality, use, and access to health care, with the goal of improving patient outcomes and the efficiency and safety of care. It also provides data resources, like the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, to track costs and utilization across the population. Other agencies have different primary missions—CDC centers on disease prevention and control, FDA regulates safety and effectiveness of drugs and devices, and ATSDR studies health effects of hazardous substances. So the agency focused on researching outcomes, cost, quality, use, and access in health care is the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.