This is an archive page. The links are no longer being updated.
Date: Wednesday, May 28, 1997 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contacts: AHCPR Public Affairs(301)594-1364, Howard Holland, ext. 1374;, Salina Prasad, ext. 1369
Under the plan, HHS' Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, the American Association of Health Plans and the American Medical Association will work jointly to develop the new guideline clearinghouse. It is anticipated that AHCPR will award a contract later this year for the technical work to establish the NGC.
"Internet technology makes it possible to provide the rapid access to the latest information on medical treatments," Secretary Shalala said. "This clearinghouse will help professionals and patients alike to benefit from the growing volume of clinical practice information."
The target date for launching the new Internet clearinghouse site is Fall 1998.
"The NGC will make clinical practice guidelines available to every physician, health plan, provider, purchaser and consumer who can use a computer," said AHCPR Administrator John M. Eisenberg, M.D. "It will provide access to the widest selection of guidelines available from public and private organizations by establishing an independent, interactive Web site, accessible by using any standard Web browser or through the Web sites of our three organizations."
The development and use of clinical practice guidelines have grown markedly in the past five years. However, many existing and potential guideline users have difficulty gaining access to and keeping abreast of the many clinical practice guidelines currently in use. In addition, existing guidelines often differ in their development and content, further complicating their use. To help address these issues, the NGC Web site will:
"The establishment of the NGC shows how our three organizations can work together to respond to the growing interest in improving quality of care, reducing uncertainty and unnecessary variation in health care decisionmaking, and providing a solid scientific basis for allocation of health care resources," said AAHP's George Isham, M.D., Chair of AAHP's Committee on Quality Health Care.
The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, a part of the Department of Health and Human Services, is the lead agency charged with supporting research designed to improve the quality of health care, enhance access to essential services, and to make this access to high quality health care more affordable. To find out more about AHCPR and its research findings and publications, visit AHCPR's home page on the World Wide Web at www.ahcpr.gov/