Project Information Sheet

Health Services and Primary Care Research Study

Project Information Sheet

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Policy has contracted with RAND, a non-profit research organization based in Santa Monica, California, to conduct a study of the current state of federally-funded health services (HSR) and primary care research (PCR). The purpose of this Congressionally mandated study is to assess the breadth and scope of the HSR and PCR funded by federal agencies, and to identify research gaps, areas of overlap, and strategies to improve the coordination of the federal HSR and PCR enterprise. As part of this project, we are speaking with various stakeholders who are responsible for, conduct, or use the results of federally supported HSR or PCR.

We’ve contacted you for an interview because of your role as a leader or expert from one or more these stakeholder perspectives on federally-funded HSR or PCR.

The interview is designed to take approximately one hour and will specifically cover topics related to understanding the types of HSR or PCR funded by different federal agencies, the impacts of that research on healthcare policy, delivery, and outcomes, and potential areas of overlap and gaps in this research funded by the federal government.

In order to protect your confidentiality, we would like you to know that:

• Your participation is voluntary. Your participation or non-participation will not be reported to anyone outside the RAND study team.

• All of your responses will be kept confidential.

• We will only produce summary information from our collective set of interviews and will not identify you or your affiliated organization to anyone outside the RAND study team. 

• We ask to audio-record the interview. All recordings will be transcribed for analysis. If you prefer not to be audio-taped, we will document the interview with manual notes.

• You can stop the interview at any time for any reason, and you are free to decline to discuss any topic that we raise.

• We will destroy all audio recordings and identifiable data linked to you after the end of the study.

• We will destroy all audio recordings and data that links your responses to your identity or your affiliated organization after the end of the study, except for your contact information for possible invitation to future similar studies.

Questions

If you have any questions about this study, please contact the project’s Principal Investigator, Dr. Peter Mendel, by phone (310) 393-0411 ext. 7194, or by mail at RAND Corporation, 1776 Main Street, Santa Monica, CA 90407-2138.