Comments &
Questions
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Advisory Commission's
Final Report
The President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Health Care Industry completed its work on March 12, 1998, and achieved consensus on its final report. Entitled "Quality First: Better Health Care for All Americans," the report recommends steps to provide a "national commitment to improving health care quality."
Printed copies of the report are available by calling, 800-358-9295 or writing to Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Publications Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 8547, Silver Spring, MD 20907-8547.
To view the Commission's interim report, "Consumer Bill of Rights and Responsibilities," or a summary of the document, please click the appropriate links.
The Commission was created by President Clinton to "advise the President on changes occurring in the health care system and recommend such measures as may be necessary to promote and assure health care quality and value, and protect consumers and workers in the health care system."
The Commission was comprised of 32 members, selected from the private sector. Members included representatives of consumers, institutional health care providers, health care professionals, other health care workers, health care insurers, health care purchasers, State and local government representatives, and experts in health care quality, financing, and administration. The Commission was Co-Chaired by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna E. Shalala, and the Secretary of Labor, Alexis M. Herman.
The President had asked the Commission to develop a "Consumer Bill of Rights" in health care and to provide him with recommendations to enforce those rights at the Federal, State, and local level. The Commission's final report was due to the President by March 30, 1998.