Musings of an AHRQ Program Official David Meyers, MD AHRQ Chief Physician June 3, 2019
AHRQ’s Role: The Why, What, and How Our Our Aim Our Goal Competencies • Improve the lives To help healthcare Health Systems of patients systems and Research • professionals Practice deliver care that is Improvement • Data & • High Quality Analytics • Safe • High Value (Why) (What) (How) 2
The View of AHRQ’s Director • Cure and Care are two sides of the same coin. • While science and research to discover cures is needed, science, research, and implementation to improve care is imperative . 3
FY 2019 Budget • $338 million in annual appropriations ► Second consecutive fiscal year with a budget increase ► AHRQ is the smallest operating division in HHS • ~ $110 million transfer from the PCOR Trust Fund ► To be invested in: − Researcher training, and − Disseminating and Implementing evidence into practice
Topics heard while getting my morning coffee… • Patient safety ► Diagnostic error ► Healthcare Associated Infections / Healthcare-Acquired Conditions • Policy-relevant analysis and evaluation ► Secondary Data Analysis • Primary care • Using digital health to improve quality • Improving care for people living with multiple chronic conditions • Opioids/Pain Management; Drug Pricing (Secretarial Priorities) • Value • Innovative Investigator-Initiated Ideas 5
Where to check if you aren’t in the AHRQ cafeteria… • AHRQ Special Emphasis Notices ► https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/priorities-contacts/special-emphasis- notices/index.html • AHRQ Research Priorities ► https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/policies/foaguidance/index.html#priorities • Introduction to AHRQ HSR R01 (Part 2, Section 1) ► https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-18-795.html • AHRQ Views Blog ► https://www.ahrq.gov/news/blog/ahrqviews/index.html 6
When to think about AHRQ • Are you thinking about the healthcare system? • Are you thinking about improving quality, safety, or value? • Is there no obvious NIH institute with a focus on your question? • Are you interested in both implementing evidence and understanding how best to implement evidence? • Are you thinking about moving beyond translation into operationalization and sustainability? • Are you looking for career development support and answer yes to the questions above? 7
When AHRQ may not be the best fit • Disease or condition focused treatment research (NIH) • Health research that does not engage the healthcare delivery system (CDC) • Clinical comparative effectiveness research (PCORI) ► AHRQ maintains an interest in HSR-focused CER • Developing a prototype of a new technology or algorithm (Venture capital) 8
Major AHRQ Standing Research Announcements • Definitive Research: ► HSR R01: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-18-795.html ► HSR R18: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-18-793.html • Exploratory Research: ► HSR R03: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-18-794.html ► Health IT R21: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-17-246.html • Conference Grant: ► R13: https://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-16-453.html 9
Interesting Targeted Standing Announcements • Advancing Evidence into Practice through Shared, Interoperable Clinical Decision Support Resources (U18) • Making Health Care Safer in Ambulatory Care Settings and Long Term Care Facilities (R18) • Implementation and Evaluation of New Health Information Technology (IT) Strategies for Collecting and Using Patient- Reported Outcome (PRO) Measures (U18) • Large Research Projects for Prevention of Healthcare-Associated Infections (R01) • Developing Measures of Shared Decision Making (R01) 10
AHRQ Career Development Opportunities Pre-Doctoral • AHRQ Health Services Research Dissertation Program (R36) Post-Doctoral • AHRQ Individual Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32) Career Development • AHRQ Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award (K08) • AHRQ Mentored Research Scientist Research Career Development Award (K01) 11
AHRQ and NIH are similar • One can find all AHRQ and NIH grant opportunities in NIH’s Guide for Grants: http://www.grants.gov ► Individual NIH institutes and AHRQ also list their opportunities on their own websites: AHRQ -- https://www.ahrq.gov/funding/fund-opps/index.html • AHRQ and NIH use a common application template (SF424) • PIs and Institutions must register before submitting an application • AHRQ and NIH grant applications are submitted to the same Center for Scientific Review 12
…but not identical • AHRQ does not accept modular budgets • AHRQ requires indirects to be bundled into total costs for grant budget, NIH only requires direct costs to be included • AHRQ standard maximum annual R01 level is $400K, NIH $500k 13
Reminder:vWhen to think about AHRQ • Are you thinking about the healthcare system? • Are you thinking about improving quality, safety, or value? • Is there no obvious NIH institute with a focus on your question? • Are you interested in both implementing evidence and understanding how best to implement evidence? • Are you thinking about moving beyond translation into operationalization and sustainability? • Are you looking for career development support and answer yes to the questions above? 14
Improving your chances of getting funded • Talk to program officers 15
Improving your chances of getting funded • Talk to program officers • (I really could stop here) 16
Improving your chances of getting funded • Talk to program officers • Read FOAs carefully ► Each NIH institute and AHRQ are different ► Within AHRQ, details vary between FOAs • Consider the review criteria • Listen to what the FOA is asking for • Join or build a team • Submit more than one application based on a portfolio of related ideas • Befriend a statistician • Don’t forget about AHRQ 17
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