; identification of outliers The Center shall adopt methodologies for profiling the patterns of practice of health care professionals and for identifying and notifying outliers. (4) Criteria for entities conducting quality reviews The Center shall develop minimum criteria for competence for entities that can qualify to conduct ongoing and continuous external quality reviews in the administrative regions. Such criteria shall require such an entity to be administratively independent of the individual or board that administers the region and shall ensure that such entities do not provide financial incentives to reviewers to favor one pattern of practice over another. The Center shall ensure coordination and reporting by such entities to ensure national consistency in quality standards. (5) Reporting The Center shall report to the Secretary annually specifically on findings from outcomes research and development of practice guidelines that may affect the Secretary’s determination of coverage of services under section 401(a)(1)(G). 502. Addressing health care disparities (a) Evaluating data collection approaches The Center shall evaluate approaches for the collection of data under this Act, to be performed in conjunction with existing quality reporting requirements and programs under this Act, that allow for the ongoing, accurate, and timely collection of data on disparities in health care services and performance on the basis of race, ethnicity, gender, geography, or socioeconomic status. In conducting such evaluation, the Secretary shall consider the following objectives: (1) Protecting patient privacy. (2) Minimizing the administrative burdens of data collection and reporting on providers under this Act. (3) Improving Universal Medicare Program data on race, ethnicity, gender, geography, and socioeconomic status. (b) Reports to congress (1) Report on evaluation Not later than 18 months after the date on which benefits first become available as described in section 106(a), the Center shall submit to Congress and the