Rep. Meadows Introduces National Institute on Safety and Quality Act

Statement

This week, Rep. Mark Meadows (R-NC) introduced H.R. 5295, the National Institute on Safety and Quality Act -- a bill to reorganize the federal government in a way that makes it more efficient, effective, and accountable.

The bill would consolidate the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and all of its activities into a new institute within the National Institutes of Health (NIH)--reducing duplication and best leveraging the capabilities of both groups. The newly formed institute would be referred to as the National Institute for Research on Safety and Quality (NIRSQ).

The (NIRSQ) would serve as a standard of excellence for improving the quality and safety of American healthcare. Furthermore, this Institute will continue its integral role in support of the Secretary of Health and Human Service's priority to move health care organizations from "volume" to "value" by focusing on improving outcomes, reducing cost and expanding choices for consumers. NIRSQ would achieve this by supporting health services research, addressing pressing health care issues through data and technology, and harnessing the power of predictive analytics to improve diagnostics.

Finally, NIRSQ will research and develop innovative technologies to lower costs, synthesize information to patients, and enhance healthcare capabilities for rural and inner-city areas--prioritizing those areas in research outcomes.

Rep. Meadows released the following statement:

"I am proud to work with President Trump on legislation that not only streamlines overlapping functions being performed by the federal government, but also helps patients across the country including in rural areas like Western North Carolina. The changes in this bill will not only keep America's government more accountable, but directly improve its quality. I've long supported efforts to empower patients to be better armed with information that will help them make healthcare decisions and improve the patient-doctor relationships, and this bill does just that. Moving forward, we'll continue to work with the Trump administration on delivering policy initiatives that answer the most pressing healthcare needs facing the country, while promoting value-based healthcare outcomes for patients."

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