Last week marked a turning point for the nation’s health services research enterprise. AHRQ formally canceled nearly every active grant in its portfolio, bringing an abrupt end to projects focused on improving patient safety, reducing health care costs, strengthening care delivery, and training the next generation of researchers. These cancellations come after months of uncertainty during which researchers received little information about delayed funding and ongoing awards.
The impacts extend far beyond the research community. The terminated projects include studies designed to reduce hospital-acquired infections, improve care for patients with chronic conditions, address barriers to cancer screening, strengthen behavioral health services, and help clinicians and health systems make better decisions. Many of the projects were already underway, meaning years of work, and millions of taxpayer dollars already invested, may never produce the findings patients, providers, and policymakers were counting on.
At the same time, AHRQ has lost an estimated 80 percent of its workforce, including much of the staff responsible for administering grants and supporting the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). New research funding has largely stopped; critical evidence-generation functions have stalled, and questions continue to mount about whether congressionally appropriated funds are being withheld in a manner consistent with federal law.
The health services research community has not remained silent. AcademyHealth, the Friends of AHRQ coalition, researchers, patient advocates, and partner organizations have mobilized through congressional outreach, appropriations advocacy, legal challenges, and requests for independent oversight. Together, these efforts aim to preserve the agency’s ability to support research that improves care for millions of Americans.
In this Situation Report, AcademyHealth examines what has happened to AHRQ over the past year, why the consequences reach every part of the health care system, and what is at stake for the future of evidence-based health policy and patient care.
If your AHRQ funding has been affected, please contact us at [email protected]. And if you haven't already, subscribe to the AcademyHealth Situation Report on Substack to stay informed about the latest developments affecting health services research, federal health policy, and the evidence infrastructure that supports better care.