As AcademyHealth's #SaveAHRQ Tweet Day is underway, it's appropriate to stop and reflect on the tremendous gain in visibility the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has received--not only by those in the health community, but also by those on Capitol Hill.
Last week, under the leadership of Senator Richard Blumenthal, a dear colleague letter in support of AHRQ—its first-ever—was circulated in the United States Senate.
Senator Blumenthal, along with Sens. Brown (OH), Franken (MN), Markey (MA), and Warren (MA) urged their Senate colleagues to work with the House of Representatives on the fiscal year (FY) 2016 appropriations bill to protect and preserve funding for AHRQ with a $364 million investment, expressing concern about the 35 percent cut to the agency in the Senate’s bill approved by the Committee on Appropriations and the House bill’s proposed funding elimination:
“Finding innovative and affordable new ways to deliver health care is one of the most important investments we can make as a nation. AHRQ is the only federal agency whose sole focus is to generate reliable and credible information on how to deliver the best possible care, at the greatest value, with the best outcomes. In this regard, AHRQ is an integral pillar of the federal health research continuum, and sits at a critical intersection—generating evidence to support the needs of delivery systems dedicated to providing quality care, and the needs of patients and payers who want to understand the actual performance of the delivery system.”
To read the full text of the letter, click here.
AcademyHealth appreciates the leadership of Sen. Blumenthal and his colleagues to preserve the funding of AHRQ and the critical health services research it supports.
As we thank our champions, we ask that you do too. Please take a moment during this #SaveAHRQ Tweet Day to express your gratitude to Sens. Blumenthal, Brown, Franken, Markey, and Warren and their efforts to #SaveAHRQ!