The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) cut dozens of grants last week, issuing what appeared to be batch termination notices to researchers.
Termination letters shared with MedPage Today and posted online had similar wording, noting that AHRQ "is adjusting its discretionary health services research award portfolio in order to better prioritize agency resources."
In many cases, funding had been stalled and researchers had been left in the dark about the status of their grants for a long period of time prior to receiving the notices.
"For months, AHRQ had effectively stopped issuing continuation funding for many existing grants, but researchers had received little formal explanation," Aaron E. Carroll, MD, MS, president and CEO of AcademyHealth, which has been tracking changes at AHRQ, told MedPage Today. Last week, he said, "investigators across the country began receiving official notices stating that continuation funding will not be awarded."
"This isn't just about researchers losing grants," he added. "These projects study how to reduce hospital infections, improve patient safety, lower costs, integrate behavioral health into primary care, and train the next generation of health services researchers. When that work stops, the people who ultimately lose are patients and the health systems trying to deliver better care."
