Pub. L. 93-353, tit. I, sec. 104

Sec. 104. Section 305 is amended to read as follows: “national center for health services research “Sec. 305. (a) There is established in the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare the National Center for Health Services Research (hereinafter in this section referred to as the ‘Center’) which shall be under the direction of a Director who shall be appointed by the Secretary and supervised by the Assistant Secretary for Health (or such other officer of the Department as may be designated by the Secretary as the principal adviser to him for health programs). “(b) In carrying out section 304(a), the Secretary, acting through the Center, may undertake and support research, evaluation, and demonstration projects (which may include and shall be appropriately coordinated with experiments and demonstration activities authorized by the Social Security Act and the Social Security Amendments of 1967) respecting— 88 Stat. 364 “(1) the accessibility, acceptability, planning, organization, distribution, technology, utilization, quality, and financing of health services and systems; “(2) the supply and distribution, education and training, quality, utilization, organization, and costs of health manpower; and “(3) the design, construction, utilization, organization, and cost of facilities and equipment. “(c) The Secretary shall afford appropriate consideration to requests of— “(1) State, regional, and local health planning and health agencies, “(2) public and private entities and individuals engaged in the delivery of health care, and “(3) other persons concerned with health services, to have the Center or other units of the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare undertake research, evaluations, and demonstrations respecting specific aspects of the matters referred to in subsection (b). “(d) (1) The Secretary shall, by grants or contracts, or both, assist public or private nonprofit entities in meeting the costs of planning and establishing new centers, and operating existing and new centers, for multidisciplinary health services, research, evaluations, and demonstrations respecting the matters referred to in subsection (b). To the extent practicable, the Secretary shall approve, in accordance with the requirements of this subsection and section 308, a number of applications for grants and contracts under this subsection which will result in at least six of such centers (including two national special emphasis centers, one of which (to be designated as the Health Care Technology Center) shall focus on all forms of technology, including computers and electronic devices, and its applications in health care delivery; and one of which (to be designated as the Health Care Management Center) shall focus on the improvement of management and organization in the health field, the training and retraining of administrators of health care enterprises, and the development of leaders, planners, and policy analysts in the health field) being operational in each fiscal year. “(2) (A) No grant or contract may be made under this subsection for planning and establishing a center unless the Secretary determines that when it is operational it will meet the requirements listed in subparagraph (B) and no payment shall be made under a grant or contract for operation of a center unless the center meets such requirements. “(B) The requirements referred to in subparagraph (A) are as follows: “(i) There shall be a full-time director of the center who possesses a demonstrated capacity for sustained productivity and leadership in health services research, demonstrations, and evaluations, and there shall be such additional full-time professional staff as may be appropriate. “(ii) The staff of the center shall represent all relevant disciplines. “(iii) The center shall (I) be located within an established academic or research institution with departments and resources appropriate to the programs of the center, and (II) have working relationships with health service delivery systems where experiments in health services may be initiated and evaluated. “(iv) The center shall select problems in health services for research, demonstrations, and evaluations on the basis of (I) their regional or national importance, (II) the unique potential88 Stat. 365 for definitive research on the problem, and (III) opportunities for local application of the research findings. “(v) Such additional requirements as the Secretary may by regulation prescribe. “(e) The authority of the Secretary under section 304(b) shall be available to him with respect to the undertaking and support of projects under subsections (b), (c), and (d) of this section.”