HSR Information Central was developed by the National Library of Medicine to serve the information needs of the health services research community, with items selected for their quality, authority of authorship, uniqueness, and appropriateness. According to one definition on the website, health services research "affects a wide-range of issues, including consumer education; patient outcomes and effectiveness of care; health care quality; health care for minority, elderly, and other special populations; health care costs and financing; information for health care policymakers; and access to care and health care delivery." HSR Information Central partners with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), with links from the National Cancer Institute, AcademyHealth, the Cecil C. Sheps Center for Health Services Research, the Health Services Research and Development Service (HSRandD) at the Veterans Administration, and others.