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1991.04.29 :  Appointment -- Jarrett Clinton

Contact: Bob Isquith (301) 443-4100 Home: (703) 648-9116
April 29, 1991

     HHS Secretary Louis W. Sullivan, M.D., today announced the
appointment of J. Jarrett Clinton, M.D., as administrator of the
new Agency for Health Care Policy and Research.  Dr. Clinton has
been acting administrator.
     Dr. Sullivan said, "This newest agency of the Public Health
Service was created to weigh medical practices to determine which
are best for various patients.  It will seek to answer such
questions as: Which treatment is most likely to save a victim of
a heart attack?  When is cataract surgery most likely to succeed?
     "Using objective studies and the best judgment of private
physicians," Dr. Sullivan said, "the agency's job is nothing less
than to guide the improvement of health care for rich and poor
alike.  Dr. Clinton is our choice to lead this new effort because
he has the leadership and commitment needed to make this program
successful."
     Assistant Secretary for Health James O. Mason, M.D., who
heads the Public Health Service within HHS, said the first three
AHCPR guidelines, to be released in the fall, will outline the
best means of postoperative pain control, the best ways to manage
urinary incontinence and the treatment of benign enlarged
prostate glands.

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     Dr. Clinton has been acting administrator of AHCPR since it
was established and, prior to that, served as acting director of
the National Center for Health Services Research and Health Care
Technology Assessment, AHCPR's predecessor.  During this time, he
oversaw the expansion of patient outcomes research, the
centerpiece of the medical treatment effectiveness program, the
formation of eight guideline development panels, and expansion of
research on health care issues such as medical liability, primary
care and rural health.
     "The research initiated under Dr. Clinton's leadership  is
designed to tell us which treatments work best, how patients can
benefit, and how our health care dollars can be best spent," Dr.
Mason said.
     Conditions currently under study by AHCPR include heart
attack, cataracts, gall bladder disease, diabetes, and the use of
cesarean section versus alternative delivery procedures.
     Before coming to AHCPR, Dr. Clinton served as director of
the Bureau of Health Professions in the Health Resources and
Services Administration, another PHS agency.  There he
established a Division of Quality Assurance and Liability
Management--a high visibility, precedent-setting program
involving quality of medical care services.  Previous to that,
Dr. Clinton was associate administrator for international affairs
for the PHS Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health
Administration.
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     From 1984 to 1988, he was deputy assistant secretary for
professional affairs and quality assurance at the Department of
Defense.  Earlier positions included directing the Agency for
International Development's health and population programs
between 1981 and 1982, and serving as deputy director of the
Peace Corps' medical programs.
     Dr. Clinton is a member of the PHS Commissioned Officers
Corps and holds the rank of Assistant Surgeon General, which is
equivalent to that of Rear Admiral.  He has received numerous
awards during his career, including the Meritorious Service
Medal, Commendation Medal, and other honors from the Public
Health Services; the Secretary of Defense Award for Outstanding
Public Service; the American Public Health Association's Carl S.
Schultz Award; and the American Society of Allied Health
Professions Distinguished Service Award.
     Dr. Clinton is board-certified in preventive medicine.  A
native of Kansas, he earned his M.D. degree from Kansas
University School of Medicine, and a master's of public health
degree from John Hopkins University in 1969.  He was also a
senior fellow at Harvard University's JFK School of Government.
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