The AAMC joined over 130 health services research stakeholders in March 16 letters recommending that leaders from the House and Senate appropriations committees provide an investment of $500 million, an increase of $149.6 million or 42.7% over Fiscal Year (FY) 2022, for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in FY 2023.
In the letters, the stakeholders, as members of the Friends of AHRQ, noted the agency’s role in supporting research to improve health care quality through various means including addressing patient safety, reducing costs, and increasing access to care. “While the vast majority of federally funded research focuses on one specific disease or organ system, AHRQ is the only federal agency that funds research at universities and other research institutions throughout the nation on health systems — the ‘real-life’ patient who has complex comorbidities, the interoperability of different technological advances, and the interactions and intersections of health care providers,” the stakeholders wrote.
The letter also highlighted how AHRQ complements other research agencies in improving health care delivery and promoting the nation’s well-being. “The benefits of investing in health services research through AHRQ transcend the pandemic and provide benefits in saved lives, better value care, and improved patient outcomes across the health system. … To maximize the translation of research findings across the public health and health care continuum to improved patient care and keep pace with the rapidly evolving and changing health care landscape, additional investments in AHRQ are needed,” the letters stated.
The president’s FY 2023 budget request, including the administration’s funding recommendation for AHRQ, is expected to be released on March 28.