March 19, 2002

Dear Chairman Conrad and Senator Domenici:

The Friends of AHRQ appreciate the past leadership of the Budget Committee in providing for a strong Federal commitment to health research, including research conducted by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). In this difficult budget year, we need your leadership again to ensure that sufficient funding is provided by the Committee to uphold this critical program.

AHRQ's research provides the evidence-based information needed to improve health care quality, enhance access to health care services, and more efficiently utilize health care resources. The funding Congress has provided in the past has enabled AHRQ to research important questions about how to:

• Improve patient safety and reduce deaths from medical errors;
  
• Provide access to quality health care, particularly for persons with
  chronic disorders and children;
  
• Reduce health care costs through improved utilization and financing; and
  
• Better prepare the health care workforce for disaster, emergency and bioterrorist events.

The President's FY2003 proposed budget would decrease current funding for AHRQ by $48 million, or 16 percent. At the proposed $252 million level, AHRQ will be unable to fund any new research or training grants. Funding for current grants for non-patient safety research would be reduced by 50 percent, requiring grant and contract renegotiations that will significantly reduce our knowledge and understanding of how to cost-effectively provide quality health care.

The Friends of AHRQ are requesting a strong funding allocation of $390 million in the Budget Resolution to ensure AHRQ can not only continue its critical health mission, but also further fulfill its role in improving the quality of health care and the quality of life for all Americans. We urge your support for providing these resources to AHRQ in FY2003 and thank you again for your past leadership and support.

Sincerely,

Administrators of Internal Medicine
Ambulatory Pediatric Association
American Academy of Family Physicians
American Academy of Otolaryngology
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Academy of Physician Assistants
American Association for Clinical Chemistry
American Association for Dental Research
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine
American College of Prevention Medicine
American College of Rheumatology
American Dental Association
American Geriatrics Society
American Health Quality Association
American Heart Association
American Hospital Association
American Osteopathic Association
American Pediatric Society
American Public Health Association
Americans for Better Care of the Dying
Association of American Medical Colleges
Association of Medical School Pediatric Department Chairs
Association of Departments of Family Medicine
Association of Family Practice Residency Directors
Association of Professors of Medicine
Association of Program Directors in Internal Medicine
Association of Schools of Public Health
Association of Subspecialty Professors
Clerkship Directors in Internal Medicine
Coalition for Health Funding
Coalition for Health Services Research
Health Insurance Association of America
Institute for Health Policy at Massachusetts General Hospital/Partners HealthCare System
Kaiser Permanente Institute for Health Policy
Medical Group Management Association
National Association of Children's Hospitals
National Institute for Health Care Management
North American Primary Care Research Group
Renal Physicians Association
Research!America
Research Triangle Institute
Society for Adolescent Medicine
Society of General Internal Medicine
Society of Teachers of Family Medicine
Society for Pediatric Research
Society for Women's Health Research
Society of Thoracic Surgeons
Washington Business Group on Health