John M. Eisenberg Papers

Collection

Identifier: MS C 537

Abstract

Eisenberg was a principal figure in health services research, and head of AHRQ, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Materials cover Eisenberg's education at Princeton University and his careers at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, and AHRQ. The Collection is evenly divided between research and administrative materials used by Eisenberg in speeches, lectures, writings, and management responsibilities.

Dates

Creation: 1933-2002

Extent

106.25 Linear Feet (85 boxes + 3,772,416 bytes born digital Bagger bags)

Creator

Eisenberg, John M. (John Mayer), 1946- (Person)

Physical Location

Materials stored onsite. History of Medicine Division. National Library of Medicine

Language of Materials

Collection materials primarily in English

Access Restrictions

No restrictions on access.

Copyright and Re-use Information

Donor's copyrights were transferred to the public domain. Archival collections often contain mixed copyrights; while NLM is the owner of the physical items, permission to examine collection materials is not an authorization to publish. These materials are made available for use in research, teaching, and private study. It is the user's responsibility to research and understand any applicable copyright and re-publication rights not allowed by fair use. NLM does not grant permissions to publish.

Privacy Information

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Biographical Note

John M. Eisenberg was born in Atlanta, GA on September 24, 1946 and was raised in Memphis, TN. After graduating Magna Cum Laude from Princeton University in 1968, Eisenberg attended Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis graduating in 1972 with a M.D. After a brief stint with the PHS, he returned east for his residency at the University of Pennsylvania as one of the first group of Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars. During this time he also attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania where he earned his M.B.A. graduating with distinction in 1976.

After completing his formal education Eisenberg served in numerous professorships from 1976 to 1991 at the University of Pennsylvania. Between 1978 to 1992 he also served as Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. From 1992 to 1997 he served as Chairman of the Department of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief at Georgetown University. He was also the first physician elected president of the Association for Health Services Research in 1992. In 1986 he was the founding Commissioner of the Congressional Physician Payment Review Commission and also served as Chairman until 1995. Eisenberg then served as the Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) from 1997 until his untimely death in 2002.

Eisenberg served in various capacities within the healthcare profession. His tireless efforts to promote quality healthcare from his early years at Princeton University to his Directorship at AHRQ gained him a reputation as a respected and effective leader in the healthcare field.

During his career Eisenberg published over 153 journal articles on topics concerning physicians' practice, test use and efficacy, medical education, and clinical economics in such journals as the Journal of American Medical Association, Inquiry, Medical Care, and the New England Journal of Medicine. In addition, he authored Doctors' Decisions and the Cost of Medical Care (1986), The Physicians' Practice (1980) and co-authored Paying Physicians: Options for Controlling the Cost, Volume and Intensity of Physicians' Services (1992). Finally, Eisenberg also co-edited the textbook Internal Medicine (1998).

Between 1982 and 2001 Eisenberg served on editorial boards for numerous medical journals including the Annals of Internal Medicine, Medical Care, Pharmacoeconomics, and Medicine. He also served on numerous boards, panels, committees, and programs, including the Medical Advisory Board for HPR Inc, the Alpha Center's Board of Directors, and the Advisory Committee for the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation on the New Pathway Program.

During his tenure at the AHRQ he played a major role in several initiatives within the Department of Health and Human Services, including the President's Advisory Commission on Consumer Protection and Quality in the Healthcare Industry and the Quality Interagency Coordination Task Force. Eisenberg employed evidence-based medicine (EBM) to argue for national changes and international outreach in healthcare. His last important professional issues concerned improving patient safety and decreasing medical errors.

Eisenberg was the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the Society of General Internal Medicine's Robert J. Glaser Award (1995), the American Medical Association's Nathan Davis Award (2000), and the Baxter International Award (2002). He died March 10, 2002 after a prolonged struggle with a brain tumor.

Collection Summary

Administrative materials, research files, correspondence, journal articles, audiovisual materials, biographical material, and photographs (1933-2002; 113 linear feet) document the medical career of John M. Eisenberg, MD, former Director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Materials cover Eisenberg's education at Princeton University and his careers at the University of Pennsylvania, Georgetown University, and AHRQ. The collection is evenly divided between research and administrative materials used by Eisenberg in speeches, lectures, writings, and management responsibilities.

The collection comprises nine series: Administrative Materials, 1971-2002; Correspondence, 1969-2002; Personal and Biographical, 1962-1976; Professional Organizations, Projects, and Contacts, 1979-2000; Publications, 1933-2001; Reports/Research Papers, 1974-2002; Audiovisual Material, 1980-2002; Photographs, 1993-1996; and Computer Disks, 1992-1997.

Created in 1989, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality housed within the department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and formerly known as the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research supports program evaluation and research projects that aim to improve the quality and affordability of healthcare. Work supported by the agency strives to help Americans make educated decisions in their choice of healthcare services and providers. The AHRQ carries out the "health services research continuum" through its five Centers. These Centers include the Center for Outcomes and Evidence, Center for Primary Care, Prevention, and Clinical Partnerships, Center for Delivery, Organization, and Markets, Center for Financing, Access, and Cost Trends, and the Center for Quality Improvement and Patient Safety.

Many of his research methods focused on evidence-based medicine (EBM), the practice of making medical decisions through judicious identification, evaluation, and application of the most relevant published information. Eisenberg's research methodology depended heavily on vociferous reading of relevant publications and articles, internalizing the issues, and then formulating his own opinions for speeches, policy making, or his own writing. Therefore the collection contains a significant amount of photocopied and clipped articles on medical issues from newspapers, journals, and magazines which can be found in Series 1: Administrative Materials, Series 5: Publications, and Series 6: Reports and Research Papers. A significant amount of these materials have no citations.

Of significant interest is Series 7: Audiovisual Material, which contains audio and video cassettes from 1980 to 2002 that document Eisenberg's plans and proposals for quality healthcare. These cassettes contain his lectures at many institutions and his interviews on numerous television and radio programs concerning healthcare quality. Documentation concerning location and dates on some tapes is poor but nonetheless this series give unique insight to Eisenberg's philosophy on healthcare.

Series 8: Computer Disks, contains both computer disks maintained by Dr. Eisenberg from 1992 to 1997 as well as paper copies of all the files on the disks which were able to be opened. These are primarily correspondence and reports.