Patients, Providers, and Researchers Agree: The Agency for Health Research and Quality is Critically Important

AcademyHealth is proud to announce that the Friends of AHRQ have sent to Congress a history smashing sign on letter calling for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to be fully funded in FY26. The 194 signatory organizations represent patients, doctors, nurses, researchers, hospitals, health systems, insurers, think tanks, universities, and more, all calling in one unanimous voice that Congress must protect and invest in AHRQ. Read our letter here.

The record-breaking list of organizations supporting AHRQ, representing both the breadth and depth of the health care system, shows the critical importance of this Agency. Unfortunately, the Agency is under threat, both in the appropriations process where the House Appropriations Committee has called for eliminating it and in the Administration as HHS reorganizes and eliminates Agencies thought the DOGE process. This letter is a testament to the value of the work AHRQ does for patients, providers, and researchers.

AHRQ’s Focus is Supporting Health Services Research

 AHRQ stands unique among other federal health agencies as its statutory focus is to support health services research (HSR) – research that assesses what health programs work, what doesn’t, for whom and in what context, and how to implement high-value and accessible care for all patients. AHRQ is the bridge between cures and care and ensures that Americans get the best health care at the best value. This includes ensuring that federally funded biomedical innovations are getting to patients efficiently. 

AHRQ Prioritizes Vulnerable Populations

The FY26 letter highlights the important and unique role of AHRQ within the broader Department of Health and Human Services by supporting research that ensures lifechanging and lifesaving care reaches our most vulnerable populations.  AHRQ-funded research focuses on improving the health care system for providers, patients, and payers. By statute, AHRQ considers rural populations, children, and the elderly as priority populations for unique health outcomes focus. By maintaining national databases, such as the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), AHRQ has supported research to help understand different populations’ needs. A recent analysis of MEPS data detailed veterans’ health care utilization to inform future Veterans Affairs programming. Additionally, AHRQ is on the cutting edge of health services research, consistently funding new and innovative measures to improve patient care. For over twenty years, AHRQ’s Digital Healthcare Research Program has funded health care technology programs and research such as a study implementing a mobile app to provide mental health support for NICU parents. AHRQ has consistently funded research on telehealth interventions to improve health care accessibility. One AHRQ-funded study assessed the parent experience and cost savings of telehealth compared to in person medical visits for rural children with special healthcare needs.  

AHRQ is the Bridge Between Evidence and Real-World Care

A large part of AHRQ’s research portfolio is focused on supporting the implementation of evidence-informed interventions to improve health. Some examples of AHRQ’s implementation work include:

• AHRQ developed the EvidenceNOW: Building State Capacity initiative which aimed to bolster state capacity to reduce cardiovascular disease by providing quality improvement support to implement evidence-informed programs to improve heart healthcare delivery in four states.
• An AHRQ-funded research study created a toolkit to guide the implementation of cardiovascular disease guidelines in primary care after telehealth expansion.
• The Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program (CUSP) at AHRQ helps clinical teams make care safer by combining improved teamwork, clinical best practices, and the science of safety. AHRQ’s research portfolio also supports the critical work of other federal entities. For example, AHRQ is key in CMS’s Partnership for Patients initiatives to reduce hospital acquired infections.

Call to Action

While there is still a risk of AHRQ being dismantled during the FY26 appropriations process, AcademyHealth is proud to be leading a strong advocacy campaign to preserve the Agency. We are asking for the Friends of AHRQ FY26 letter to be disseminated widely to congressional offices and staff. 

To circulate the FY26 letter, follow these steps. 

1. Call your congressional office. Note: To avoid the US Congress operator line, call your congressional leader's direct phone number, which can be found on their own website.
2. Ask for the health staffer's email address.
3. Email the health staffer with the FY26 letter with a brief description of why AHRQ is important to you, as a constituent.

Additionally: 

1. Check the House and Senate Appropriations committees (and select 'members') to see if your congressional delegation has a member.
2. If your congressional leader is a member of one of those Committees, go to their own member website, call their direct phone number, and ask for the health staffer’s email address.
3. Email the health staffer the FY26 letter with a brief description of why AHRQ is important to you, as a constituent. 

AcademyHealth has developed one-pagers that are free to use in your advocacy and education efforts for AHRQ:

• What is Health Services Research?
• How does AHRQ support rural patients?
• What can AHRQ do about rural hospital closures?
• Health Services Research: Determining What Works and What Doesn’t in Healthcare

The challenges that AHRQ and evidence-based research and policymaking face are significant, but we believe that through the strength of our coalition, we will be able to effectively advocate for the continued creation, dissemination, and implementation of the research that leads to high value care. 

Friends of AHRQ is a free and voluntary coalition that advocates on behalf of the Agency to Congress. To join the Friends, email us at Advocacy@AcademyHealth.org.