Department of Health and Human Services
	Research, Demonstration, and Evaluation Activities FY 2003 Plan and Budget February 2002

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RESEARCH AND DEMONSTRATIONS

(by HHS Strategic Plan Objective)

IMPROVE THE CAPACITY OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM TO IDENTIFY AND RESPOND TO THREATS TO THE HEALTH OF THE NATION’S POPULATION (OBJECTIVE 5.1)

FY 2003 Priorities

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPROVEMENT (CDC)

Research: CDC's Extramural Prevention Research Program sponsors peer-reviewed research conducted by academic researchers who are linked with State and local health agencies and communities to develop improved public health interventions and services. Prevention research aims to discover how to prevent disease, injury, and disability and to translate this knowledge into interventions that will be effective across many diverse communities. Major objectives of preventions research are to ensure the dissemination of scientific information and its application by practitioners, policy makers and the public. CDC's specific objectives for FY 2003 are:

• To engage policy makers and practitioners in prevention research to assure that the research is population-based, solution-oriented and targets health promotion and disease prevention issues of immediate importantion to policy and practice.

Demonstrations: The National Laboratory System (NLS) 4-state demonstration project (located within CDC’s Public Health Practice Program) will emphasize assessment of laboratory practices and continuous monitoring of quality to improve testing. Priorities for FY 2003 include evaluating the progress of the demonstration projects. Examples of two demonstrations are listed below:

• Michigan is enhancing training for detection of bioterrorism agents; developing a statewide specimen transport system; and improving laboratory-based communicable disease reporting.
• Minnesota is improving laboratory assessment statewide, including bioterrorism rule-out capability, computer infrastructure, and reporting practices. Laboratories are being tested on emergency situations and identification of rare bacteria.

Results of these demonstrations will be widely disseminated for laboratory policy application and systems development in other states as the NLS is implemented nationwide.

EPIDEMIOLOGY SERVICES (CDC)

Research: CDC has partnered with U.S. Census Bureau to develop an innovative infrastructure for browsing and accessing data across the Internet. The result is the Data Web, a collection of systems and software that provide search, query, extract, data analysis, and data visualization capability. The Data Web provides access to demographic, economic, environmental, health, and other data sets located at organizations across the United States. This program delivers vital community health and demographic information directly to public health officials. Objectives of the research include further development and implementation of the Data Web in order to provide technical linkage and access to disparate state data systems and beta testing.

Evaluation: CDC will evaluate and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the National Hospital Ambulatory Care Survey and the methodology presently used to collect inpatient drug data. The first phase addressed the general availability, reliability, and quality of different sources of pharmaceutical information in hospitals for impatients. The second phase will test and evaluation procedures to obtain pharmaceutical information for the National Hospital Discharge Survey using the recommended sources and methods identified in Phase I.