The Science of Public Reporting Coordination Center

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through its Program Support Center (PSC), intends to issue a Request for Proposal to establish The Science of Public Reporting Coordinating Center on behalf of the Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ). This effort, supported by the Affordable Care Act, aims to build and enhance the science of public reporting—defined as providing health care consumers with accessible, meaningful comparisons of health care providers based on quality and resource use measures. The Coordinating Center will address existing challenges in public reporting such as poor design and inadequate dissemination by facilitating synthesis and dissemination of the latest research, fostering collaboration among AHRQ grantees, and engaging key stakeholders including federal and state public report producers, consumers, and purchasers. Scheduled for award in fiscal year 2013 through a full and open competition, the contract will be based in Maryland and managed by the PSC’s Division of Acquisition Management. The Center’s role will involve conducting environmental scans, producing best practice guides, monitoring public reporting projects, and accelerating the translation of public reporting research into practical applications. It will serve as a vital communication hub linking researchers, policymakers, and public reporting sponsors through meetings, electronic communications, and stakeholder collaboration. Interested parties are encouraged to participate in this procurement to contribute to the development and improvement of public reporting systems that ultimately enable consumers to make better-informed health care decisions.