AHCPR OPPORTUNITY FOR COOPERATIVE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENTS (CRADA) AND OTHER PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS DESCRIPTION: The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) is planning to enter into "Cooperative Research and Development Agreements" (CRADAs) and other public-private partnerships pursuant to the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986, as alarge national and state health care databases (including the Medical Expenditures Panel Surveys (MEPS), Health Care Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP), and HIV Cost and Services Utilization Study (HCSUS), as well as access to, and experience with, other major health-related national databases. Expertise in evaluating cost-effectiveness, medical outcomes, and appropriateness of different clinical approaches and technologies for specific diseases or treatment regimes. Expertise in working with policymakers and legislators to evaluate trends occurring in the health care market and to provide data to assist in decisionmaking. Recent AHCPR partnerships with nongovernmental organizations, leading toward important research initiatives, include: Development of the Computerized Needs-Oriented Quality Measurement Evaluation System (CONQUEST), which enables health plans, practitioners, employers, and other users to identify and compare alternative quality of care measures in a meaningful way; and inauguration of the Quality Measurement Network (QMNet), which builds on the CONQUEST system and attempts to create a self-sufficient, comprehensive and publicly accessible quality measurement resource. These quality of care activities have involved AHCPR's working with private sector lead organizations in health care quality improvement and measurement, academia, and others. Study of stroke prevention strategies in managed care organizations, particularly in ways to translate the findings of AHCPR's Patient Outcomes Research Team (PORT) into actual clinical practice across a variety of managed care models, using a three-way agreement involving AHCPR, PORT research institutions, and a major drug manufacturer. Support for HCSUS, an HIV-related research project employing a cooperative agreement between AHCPR and RAND, in which investigators look at the delivery and costs of HIV/AIDS treatment. A partnership stemming from the HCSUS project, with funding from major pharmaceutical firms and technical assistance from AHCPR and other research partners, is enabling RAND to examine factors associated with initiating and adhering to combination therapies, which include protease inhibitors, for HIV/AIDS. AHCPR is now exploring new models for partnerships with other organizations. Areas for potential collaborations include, but are not limited to: How the structure and organization of health markets and the evolving managed care systems impact on cost, quality, and access; Changes in the delivery of care such as clinical integration and new models of care, and how particular elements of managed care affect quality and outcomes; Changes in financing mechanisms for health care coverage, including the impact of employer coalitions and value-based purchasing efforts; Ways to use governmental andprivate sector health care databases for applying advanced data-analysis techniques to improve health care delivery; Examining primary care delivery in terms of cost, quality, and patient outcomes; The use of consumer satisfaction initiatives in the design of improved health care systems; Development of syntheses of scientific evidence on specific clinical topics and technologies; Disseminating evidence-based practice information to the clinical community; Evaluating the relative impact (in terms of cost, quality, and outcomes) of new medical technologies, interventions, and innovations; and Expanding efforts to explore and evaluate outcomes and effectiveness of various treatments for the same condition. Partners' Role The role of the private-sector partner in these research collaborations could include opportunities to: Support research design and study through the provision of funding or other valuable research resources (such as data, research personnel, equipment). Partner in the design, coordination, and conduct of research studies to evaluate the effectiveness and cost of health care delivery. Provide clinical or other technical support to studies. Improve consumer and practitioner access to research results through innovations in dissemination and evaluation. INQUIRIES To receive immediate consideration, proposals or public comments must be received by [sixty days from publication of this notice]. However, proposals may be submitted at any time. Portions of proposals containing proprietary information may be labeled as confidential, if necessary. Proposals or comments may be sent to: Larry T. Patton, Director, Office of Policy Analysis, Suite 601, Agency for Health Care Policy and Research, 2101 E. Jefferson Street, Rockville, MD 20852. (Email: lpatton@ahcpr.gov) Questions may be directed to: Howard Cohen, J.D., at 301-594-1321, ext.1016.

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0652 19970725\SP-0007.MSC)