January 2, 2003

Dear Chairman Specter and Senator Harkin:

The undersigned members of the Friends of AHRQ greatly appreciate your commitment to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Your continued support is crucial as you finalize the FY2003 budget when the 108th Congress convenes in January.

Our organizations recognize that over the next several weeks the Subcommittee will be making hard choices regarding funding for many important programs. With this in mind, we want to reiterate our support for AHRQ and emphasize that AHRQ research is needed now more than ever with medical costs on the increase, patient safety improvement demonstrations just beginning, increases in the number of the uninsured, and Congress looking into expanding Medicare benefits.

Following the Administration's proposal to cut AHRQ funding by $48 million would severely impact AHRQ and its research. Under the proposed budget, AHRQ would be unable to fund any new research or training grants, and funding for current non-patient safety research will be reduced by nearly 50 percent. We urge you to reject this approach.

As you know, the Subcommittee mark earlier this summer funded AHRQ at $309 million for FY2003. While we are grateful to the Subcommittee for restoring the funding cuts proposed by the Administration, we continue to support a figure of $375 million and believe it is necessary in order to allow AHRQ to continue current grants and to increase research in the areas of quality of care and health care financing.

Your past assistance for AHRQ has been critical in allowing the Agency to provide sophisticated solutions to many health care problems. Further investments are needed to resolve the even more complex problems facing our health care system. Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Ambulatory Pediatric Association
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Association for Dental Research
American Association of Colleges of Nursing
American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy
American Clinical Laboratory Association
American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
American College of Physicians - American Society of Internal Medicine
American College of Rheumatology
American Dental Association
American Dental Education Association
American Geriatrics Society
American Heart Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Pediatric Society
American Psychiatric Association
Americans for Better Care of the Dying
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs
Coalition for American Trauma Care
Coalition for Health Services Research
General Motors
Health Insurance Association of America
Medical Group Management Association
National Association of Local Boards of Health
National Institute for Health Care Management Foundation
Society for Pediatric Research
Society of General Internal Medicine
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Mount Sinai Medical Center
Renal Physicians Association
Research Triangle Institute
Research!America