Agency for Health Care Policy and Research: improving health care through guidelines and outcomes research.

The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), a part of the Public Health Service, was set up to fund and conduct research on the effectiveness and appropriateness of health care, facilitate development of clinical practice guidelines, assess health care technology, and undertake widespread dissemination of research findings and clinical guidelines. In this exclusive interview with Hospital Formulary, AHCPR Administrator J. Jarrett Clinton discusses how the Agency carries out its research responsibilities and describes how clinical practice guidelines are developed.