Last week, the Society for General Internal Medicine (SGIM) and the North American Primary Care Research Group (NAPCRG) filed suit against the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to challenge the halt of all grantmaking at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). As host of the Friends of AHRQ and the professional home for health services research, AcademyHealth has worked closely with SGIM and NAPCRG throughout this process, providing advocacy and engaging the research community to defend AHRQ’s critical role.
SGIM and AcademyHealth share a belief in the power of evidence to improve care. From clinicians on the frontlines to policy experts shaping health systems, we rely on robust, actionable research to make care safer, more effective, and more efficient. AHRQ is central to this mission. The lawsuit is about safeguarding the infrastructure that enables evidence-based improvements in care, not about politics.
AHRQ Grantmaking Has Ground to a Halt
Since April 1, 2025, AHRQ has not approved a single new research grant. Even support for ongoing projects has ground to a halt, meaning that the agency overall has, this fiscal year, spent less than half of what it spent during the previous fiscal year. This unprecedented collapse threatens the agency’s ability to support research that informs health care systems and patient care nationwide.
Health services research directly affects patients’ lives. AHRQ-supported initiatives to reduce hospital-acquired infections saved an estimated 125,000 lives and $28 billion over six years. Hospitals in Tennessee, working with the Tennessee Center for Patient Safety, reduced hospital infections and surgical complications between 2008 and 2010, saving an estimated $11 million in health care costs. Patient safety programs in Mississippi cut falls by 25 percent. These studies translate into actionable improvements in care, better outcomes, and lower costs for patients and their families.
Why Clinicians and the Research Community Depend on AHRQ
The halt in grantmaking affects both the research community and the clinicians who rely on the knowledge this work produces. Clinicians rely on AHRQ research to guide care decisions that impact patients every day. Programs like the Healthcare Extension Service, which would have funded state-based collaboratives and national coordinating centers, were designed to integrate behavioral health, expand rural access, and apply evidence-based innovations in practice. Without proper grantmaking infrastructure, these initiatives fail to reach fruition, leaving patients without timely access to improved care and the benefits of cutting-edge research.
Beyond individual patient care, AHRQ research informs system-level policies and improvements. By analyzing and translating data on effective interventions, cost-effective care, and population health strategies, AHRQ ensures that health systems can deliver safer, more efficient, and higher-quality care. Supporting this research protects the backbone of evidence-based decision-making, benefiting entire communities and the U.S. health system as a whole.
Protecting Health for All Americans
Robust, well-supported health services research benefits patients, strengthens health systems, and informs policies that improve outcomes for everyone. By protecting AHRQ’s capacity to fund and translate research, we protect the future of evidence-based care, ensuring that patients, families, and communities reap the benefits of innovations that save lives and improve health.
Congress and federal policymakers must ensure that AHRQ can fulfill its statutory role and fund research that advances patient health and health system efficiency. Meanwhile, organizations like SGIM, NAPCRG, and AcademyHealth will continue to advocate, educate, and support the health services research community.