The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently announced it will be awarding $17 million to help improve healthcare in the country.

Three sets of grants will help fund patient-centered research. Most of the research being funded will focus on primary care and pediatrics, but some funds will also help aid research for the care and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

Health Resources and Services Administration Administrator Mary Wakefield says the funds will help fund programs that are normally neglected.

"These funds allow us to invest in robust systems and infrastructure to bring patient-centered research knowledge into everyday clinical decision-making for the diverse and vulnerable populations that HRSA serves, and that are often under-represented in this kind of research," says Wakefield.

Investing in healthcare research initiatives will help the country improve the healthcare system and better serve patients. Patient-centered outcomes research focuses on comparing treatments used amongst patients to determine which are most effective.

Funding for the research is part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, which was signed by President Barack Obama in February of last year.