An interview with J. Jarrett Clinton. Interview by Carmella A. Bacchino.

Medical effectiveness initiatives, outcomes research, and practice guidelines--the new buzz words for the 90s--will change the way health care services are delivered and allocated. The focal point for medical effectiveness and health services research for the federal government is the Public Health Service's newest agency, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research. The agency is headed by J. Jarrett Clinton, MD, MPH, administrator, who also served as acting administrator since the creation of the agency in December 1989 until April 1991. In this interview, Dr. Clinton discusses the agency's responsibilities, his perspective on the agency's work, and the effect of health services research on the U.S. health care delivery system.