Administrative units of government responsible for policy making and management of governmental activities.

Agencies of the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT of the United States.

The term "United States" in a medical context often refers to the country where a patient or study participant resides, and is not a medical term per se, but relevant for epidemiological studies, healthcare policies, and understanding differences in disease prevalence, treatment patterns, and health outcomes across various geographic locations.

Financial support of research activities.

The science of controlling or modifying those conditions, influences, or forces surrounding man which relate to promoting, establishing, and maintaining health.

Branch of medicine concerned with the prevention and control of disease and disability, and the promotion of physical and mental health of the population on the international, national, state, or municipal level.

The complex of political institutions, laws, and customs through which the function of governing is carried out in a specific political unit.

Federal, state, or local government organized methods of financial assistance.

Smallest political subdivisions within a country at which general governmental functions are carried-out.

The level of governmental organization and function at the national or country-wide level.

Public or private organizations that provide, either directly or through arrangements with other organizations, home health services in the patient's home. (Hospital Administration Terminology, 2d ed)

Exercise of governmental authority to control conduct.

Programs and activities sponsored or administered by local, state, or national governments.

Decisions, usually developed by government policymakers, for determining present and future objectives pertaining to the health care system.

The level of governmental organization and function below that of the national or country-wide government.

The interactions between representatives of institutions, agencies, or organizations.

Activities concerned with governmental policies, functions, etc.

An agency in the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. It was created as an independent regulatory agency responsible for the implementation of federal laws designed to protect the environment. Its mission is to protect human health and the ENVIRONMENT.

Management of public health organizations or agencies.

A system containing any combination of computers, computer terminals, printers, audio or visual display devices, or telephones interconnected by telecommunications equipment or cables: used to transmit or receive information. (Random House Unabridged Dictionary, 2d ed)

Research that involves the application of the natural sciences, especially biology and physiology, to medicine.

Countries in the process of change with economic growth, that is, an increase in production, per capita consumption, and income. The process of economic growth involves better utilization of natural and human resources, which results in a change in the social, political, and economic structures.

A course or method of action selected, usually by a government, from among alternatives to guide and determine present and future decisions.

The concept concerned with all aspects of providing and distributing health services to a patient population.

The interaction of persons or groups of persons representing various nations in the pursuit of a common goal or interest.

The circulation or wide dispersal of information.

The decision process by which individuals, groups or institutions establish policies pertaining to plans, programs or procedures.

The interaction of two or more persons or organizations directed toward a common goal which is mutually beneficial. An act or instance of working or acting together for a common purpose or benefit, i.e., joint action. (From Random House Dictionary Unabridged, 2d ed)

Components of a national health care system which administer specific services, e.g., national health insurance.

That distinct portion of the institutional, industrial, or economic structure of a country that is controlled or owned by non-governmental, private interests.

The field of information science concerned with the analysis and dissemination of medical data through the application of computers to various aspects of health care and medicine.

An agency of the PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE established in 1990 to "provide indexing, abstracting, translating, publishing, and other services leading to a more effective and timely dissemination of information on research, demonstration projects, and evaluations with respect to health care to public and private entities and individuals engaged in the improvement of health care delivery..." It supersedes the National Center for Health Services Research. The United States Agency for Health Care Policy and Research was renamed Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) under the Healthcare Research and Quality Act of 1999.

Innovation and improvement of the health care system by reappraisal, amendment of services, and removal of faults and abuses in providing and distributing health services to patients. It includes a re-alignment of health services and health insurance to maximum demographic elements (the unemployed, indigent, uninsured, elderly, inner cities, rural areas) with reference to coverage, hospitalization, pricing and cost containment, insurers' and employers' costs, pre-existing medical conditions, prescribed drugs, equipment, and services.

Health planning and resources development agencies which function in each health service area of the United States (PL 93-641).

The process of formulating, improving, and expanding educational, managerial, or service-oriented work plans (excluding computer program development).

The area of a nation's economy that is tax-supported and under government control.