AHRQ Proposes Framework for Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Investments

Feb. 22, 2022
Agency for Healthcare 
Research and Quality seeks feedback on five priorities to promote equitable 
whole-person care

The Agency for Healthcare
 Research and Quality (AHRQ) is seeking 
input from the public on a proposed
 strategic framework for its Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust
 Fund investments.


The proposed strategic framework 
identifies five inter-related priorities for improving
 healthcare delivery that are aligned with 
AHRQ’s mission and that have the 
potential to improve outcomes that 
patients care about. These priorities contribute to
 achieving the proposed strategic
 framework’s overall vision of equitable 
whole-person care across the lifespan.

AHRQ is
 authorized under federal law to broadly disseminate patient-centered 
outcomes research (PCOR) findings, 
including incorporation of those 
findings into health information 
technology focused on clinical decision support, and to train researchers in the 
methods used to conduct PCOR.

PCOR
 compares the impact of two or more
 preventive, diagnostic, treatment, or 
healthcare delivery approaches on 
health outcomes, including those that 
are meaningful to patients.

The work is funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes 
Research Trust Fund (PCORTF), which was established in 
2010 and reauthorized in 2019. In response to the reauthorization of 
the PCORTF, AHRQ has developed a 
proposed strategic framework to guide 
future planning and evaluation of
 AHRQ’s PCORTF investments.


The high-level priorities and desired outcomes in the strategic plan are:

A. Health equity. The goals include reduced health disparities for AHRQ’s priority populations, engagement of underrepresented communities in training and implementation initiatives, and improved equity in access to needed care.

B. Prevention and improved care of patients with chronic conditions: Increased uptake of evidenced-based preventive services, early intervention and secondary prevention. Decreased fragmentation of care for patients with multiple chronic conditions. Co-design of innovations in care with patients and communities.

C. Patient, family and provider experience of care that enhances trust in the healthcare system. Goals include improved patient engagement and reported experience of care. Focus on whole-person care with attention to mental health and social determinants of health. Improved provider wellness and retention.

D. High-quality, safe care that is aligned with national health priorities. Transformation of healthcare organizations into learning health systems. Increased uptake of evidence-based practices that strengthen healthcare quality, safety and value. Improved outcomes for targeted national priority conditions.

E. Primary care transformation. Uptake of new models of primary care, leveraging digital healthcare. Integrated team-based behavioral healthcare. Identification and provision of needed resources for comprehensive primary care and uptake of evidence.

Cross-cutting strategies include:

• Train and support the next generation of health service researchers with a focus on team science and advancing health equity.

• Develop and maintain the AHRQ infrastructure needed to synthesize and accelerate evidence to practice.

• Leverage and support innovation in digital health, clinical decision support, and new models of care.

• Build data measurement and analytic capacity to benchmark and evaluate uptake and use of evident in learning health systems to improve outcomes that matter to patients.

• Accelerate the uptake of evidence in practice to optimize individual and population health and achieve health equity for all.

• Disseminate evidence to Federal/State/local healthcare decision makers with targeted communication strategies.

• Provide the evidence to inform policy changes needed for sustainable implementation and incorporation of evidence by healthcare systems, practices and providers.

Comments on this notice must be
received by April 19, 2022 
via e-mail to: [email protected].

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