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September 25, 2000
Dear Chairman Porter and Congressman Obey: The Friends of AHRQ thank you for your strong support of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. We are asking for your continued leadership on behalf of the Agency. Should additional funding become available for the Subcommittee, we urge your reconsideration of the Coalition's recommendation of $300 million in FY2001 funding to enable AHRQ to: · Provide leadership in improving patient safety and reducing medical errors. The impact of medical errors on patient health had been well established by the Institute of Medicine report. The House mark includes $20 million for this effort. The Friends support the additional $30 million provided by the Senate to more quickly enable the Agency to take needed steps to prevent medical errors. · Expand investigator-initiated grants. The President's budget request does not sustain growth in new awards and grants and will lead to a decrease in the funding available to support investigator-initiated research. As demands on AHRQ have grown, the success rate of investigator-initiated research has plummeted to a mere 7 percent. The Friends recommended an additional $30 million be made available to aid investigator-initiated research, facilitate the translation of research into clinical practice and disease management strategies, and address the needs of vulnerable populations. The Friends of AHRQ greatly appreciate your continued leadership and support of AHRQ. We again urge you to reconsider the Coalition's recommendation of $300 million for AHRQ as part of any final FY2001 Labor, Health and Human Services Appropriations bill. Sincerely, American Association for Dental Research |
