November 2, 2001

AAMC Comments on OMB Final "Information Quality" Guidelines

The AAMC Oct. 29 responded to a request for public comments by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) on its final guidelines to improve and ensure the quality of information disseminated by federal agencies. These guidelines, issued in the Sept. 28 Federal Register [66 FR 49718], requested further comments relating to specific sections concerning scientific and statistical information. The development of information quality guidelines was mandated by legislation introduced by Rep. Jo Ann Emerson (R-Mo.) and passed into law last December.

The AAMC commended the OMB for ably addressing many of the concerns raised by the academic and scientific community to previous draft guidelines issued in June. For example, OMB's earlier proposed guidelines were interpreted by AAMC and others to conflict with standard peer review practices in publication and dissemination of information. The latest version of the guidelines now explicitly recognizes the objectivity of scientific information "if the results have been subject to formal, independent, external peer review."

The AAMC remains greatly concerned that the OMB continues to propose a second standard for "influential" scientific and statistical information that influence the development of regulations or other public policies, or that affect specific individuals or firms. This standard requires federal agencies to demonstrate that influential findings are "capable of being substantially reproduced, if the original or supporting data are independently analyzed using the same models." The new standard is proposed "above and beyond" peer review for vetting the quality of federally disseminated information.

AAMC argues that the standard is unnecessary, given that much influential and critical information is currently published in the scientific literature based on peer review standards alone. Moreover, the imposition of additional standards could impede timely communication of urgent public health information. Consequently, the AAMC has asked that the new standard not apply to information that has been subjected to prior peer review and that the standard be tailored so as not potentially to prohibit the release of vital public health information.

The public comment period on the final information quality guidelines closed on Oct. 29. Federal agencies have until October 2002 to develop and implement their own standards for complying with the OMB guidelines.

Information: Stephen Heinig, AAMC Division of Biomedical and Health Sciences Research, 202-828-0488.