Section 515 of the Treasury and General Government Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2001 (Public Law 106-554; H.R. 5658) directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue government-wide guidelines on policy and procedural guidance to Federal agencies to ensure and maximize the quality, objectivity, utility, and integrity of information (including statistical information) disseminated by Federal agencies.
Effective October 1, 2002, Federal agencies have issued their own implementing guidelines that include administrative mechanisms allowing affected persons to seek and obtain correction of information maintained and disseminated by an agency if that information does not comply with the OMB guidelines.
The quality review procedures described in these guidelines apply to information disseminated by Federal agencies on or after October 1, 2002. The administrative correction mechanisms outlined in the guidelines apply to information disseminated on or after October 1, 2002, regardless of when it was first disseminated.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Guidelines are available at:
http://www.dhhs.gov/infoquality/
The HHS Guidelines include department-wide umbrella policies and guidelines, operating Agency specific guidelines, and administrative mechanisms to request correction of applicable information.
The specifics for AHRQ are available at:
http://www.dhhs.gov/infoquality/AHRQinfo.htm
The guidelines apply to information in all media (e.g., print, electronic) and apply primarily to the dissemination of substantive information (e.g., reports, studies, and summaries relating to the findings and related products of AHRQ research) rather than on information pertaining to basic Agency operations not intended for public dissemination.
Complaints or requests for review and correction of information shall be in written hard copy or electronic form. They shall be sent to the Agency by regular or electronic mail.
Letters (written hard copy) should be sent to:
Office of the Director
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Suite 3000, Eisenberg Building
540 Gaither Road
Rockville, MD 20850
Electronic mail should be sent to info@ahrq.gov.
Complaints should state "Information Quality Concern" in the subject line. The body of the complaint shall state that a request for correction of information is being submitted.
Specifics on what is covered and how to submit a concern are provided in the Agency guidelines.
Current as of August 2003
Internet Citation:
Information Quality Guidelines. August 2003. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/news/infoqual.htm
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