Systematic overview of Freedom of Information Act requests to the Department of Health and Human Services from 2008 to 2017.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides access to unreleased government records that can be used to enhance the transparency and integrity of biomedical research. We characterized FOIA requests to Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) agencies, including request outcomes, processing times, backlogs, and costs.

Methods

Using HHS FOIA annual reports, we extracted data on the number of FOIA requests received and processed by HHS agencies between 2008 and 2017, as well as request outcomes. Processing times were reported in three time increments, < 1-20, 21-60, or 61+ days, and trends in backlog status were also described. Information about costs and fees collected were aggregated.

Results

Between 2008 and 2017, 69.6% of 530,094 HHS FOIA requests

SUBMITTER: Egilman AC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6900838 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature