If you work in academic medicine, you need to understand the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the cabinet-level department of the federal government created to protect the health of all Americans and provide essential human services.
With a $1.2 trillion+ budget and around 80,000 employees, this giant agency covers a lot of territory in our industry. But what falls under HHS’s purview, exactly? In this first of a 2-part Tip Tuesday post, we aim to briefly explain some of the key agencies within HHS and how they contribute to the nation’s health:
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ): funds and conducts health services research to examine how people get access to care, how much care costs, and what happens to patients as a result of care they receive
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): the federal government’s public health agency; focused on health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability, and preparedness for new health threats
- Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS): largest purchaser of health care in the United States, providing health coverage for more than 100 million individuals; administers Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and new private insurance and private insurance market reform programs, such as the Affordable Care Act.
- Food and Drug Administration (FDA): assesses and assures the safety, efficacy, and security of human and veterinary drugs, biological products, and medical devices, as well as the safety and security of the nation’s food supply, cosmetics, and products that emit radiation; also regulates the manufacturing, marketing, and distribution of tobacco products.
- Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): focused on health equity, the primary federal agency for improving access to health care services for people who are uninsured, isolated, or medically vulnerable
- National Institutes of Health (NIH): the federal government’s biomedical research agency; the 27 institutes and centers of the NIH support and conduct research into the causes, diagnosis, treatment, control, and prevention of diseases. AAMC member medical schools and teaching hospitals receive more than 50% of NIH’s extramural funding.
Next week we will explain the congressional committees that oversee HHS and the programs that address the nation’s health.
Nov. 2 Update: Part 2 of this Tip Tuesday is now available here.
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Erica Froyd
Senior Director, Advocacy & Engagement
Association of American Medical Colleges
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