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Highlights from the June issue of AHCPR's monthly publication, Research Activities: 1) Health Insurance Plans Vary Dramatically in Their Coverage of New Technologies; 2) Higher Dental Prices Often Denote Higher Quality of Care; 3) Evidence Does Not Yet Support Annual Screening of Men Over 50 to Detect Prostate Cancer; 4) Broad Exposure to Other Children and Being Poor Are Linked to Increased Risk for Childhood Middle-Ear Effusion

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Under its Evidence-based Practice Program, HHS' Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) is awarding 12 five-year contracts to institutions in the United States and Canada to serve as Evidence-based Practice Centers.

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Using the antibiotic erythromycin for treating community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) in most outpatients aged 60 and under significantly reduces treatment costs compared with the use of other antibiotics and has no adverse effect on medical outcomes. This finding is from an AHCPR-funded study which provides the first objective data to compare the clinical effectiveness and costs of antibiotic therapy with clinical guidelines for community-acquired pneumonia.

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HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced plans to develop a comprehensive Internet-based source for clinical practice guidelines. The new National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) will make available a full range of current guidance on treatments for specific medical conditions.

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The federal government's Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) today announced the availability of the first data for 1996 from the household component of its new Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). This nationally representative survey, cosponsored by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), collects detailed information on the health status, health care use and expenses, and health insurance coverage of individuals and families in the United States, including nursing home residents, at different intervals and over time.

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Information released today in print and on the Internet will help consumers choose a health care insurance plan that best meets their needs and help them get the most from their plan.

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HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala today announced the appointment of John M. Eisenberg, M.D., M.B.A., as Administrator of the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR).

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The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) works to improve the quality of health care, reduce costs, and broaden access to essential services. Here are some of the findings described in the most recent issue of AHCPR's Research Activities.

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The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) is funding three projects, now underway, to create a closer, ongoing working relationship between medicine and public health. These projects support the efforts of the Medicine/Public Health Initiative, a national consortium working to improve the working relationship between the two disciplines.

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The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research has entered into partnerships with medical professional groups to develop two pilot evidence reports under its new evidence-based practice program, announced AHCPR Acting Administrator Lisa A. Simpson, M.B., B.Ch.

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The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research today announced the availability of its Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) Release 3, containing 1994 data on hospital inpatient care, conditions, services and costs.

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The Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) today released the first evidence report under its new Evidence-based Practice Initiative. The report indicates that screening has been shown to be effective in detecting early-stage colorectal cancers and their precursors. Early detection and treatment are the primary means of preventing deaths from colorectal cancer.

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The federal Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) today announced a simple and accurate method to predict which patients with pneumonia may be treated at home rather than in a hospital. The prediction method--a clinical model used to help doctors assess the need for hospitalization--also could help reduce the over $4 billion spent annually for inpatient care. This model is described in the January 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Here are some of the findings described in the most recent issue of AHCPR's Research Activities.

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Elderly patients who receive beta blockers following a heart attack are 43 percent less likely to die in the first 2 years following the attack than patients who do not receive this drug, according to a new study funded by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR), published in the January 8 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

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The federal Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) today announced the funding of 13 new research projects: eight projects to determine how the referral of primary care patients to medical specialists and other specialized services affects the quality and cost of health care; and five projects to improve primary care services overall.