AHRQ’s Healthcare Extension Service Initiative
A Notice of Information issued by AHRQ signals the agency’s intent to publish a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to create state-based healthcare extension cooperatives to increase the use of evidence in clinical practice.
AHRQ will also issue NOFOs for two related projects: a national coordinating center, and a national evaluation center. Working together, these projects aim to accelerate the dissemination and implementation of patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) evidence through improvements in healthcare policy, payment, and practice, and reduce healthcare disparities, especially among people who receive Medicaid, are uninsured, or are otherwise medically underserved.
The three NOFOs are:
State-based Healthcare Extension Cooperatives to Accelerate Implementation of Actionable Knowledge into Practice (U19)
This NOFO will invite applications to establish and support State-based Healthcare Extension Cooperatives (referred to as Cooperatives) to conduct initiatives based on PCOR evidence to improve care for medically underserved people. One initiative must focus on behavioral healthcare. To support these initiatives, the Cooperative will: 1) engage key stakeholders, including Medicaid agencies, managed care organizations, and other organizations that address the health needs of people who are medically underserved in identifying and addressing barriers and facilitators to implementing patient-centered healthcare delivery improvements that are based on PCOR evidence; 2) work with healthcare policy, payment, community, care delivery, and research organizations that serve people who are medically underserved to build their capacity to implement patient-centered healthcare delivery improvements based on PCOR evidence, and to support ongoing learning; 3) conduct evaluations of the Cooperative’s activities; and 4) provide the support structure to ensure these activities are integrated and aligned.
This NOFO is expected to be published in Summer 2024 with an expected application due date in Winter 2024.
National Coordinating Center for AHRQ's Healthcare Extension Service: State-based Solutions to Healthcare Improvements (U54)
This NOFO will invite applications for a National Coordinating Center (NCC) to provide support and guidance to the recipients of grants for the State-based Healthcare Extension Cooperatives to Accelerate Implementation of Actionable Knowledge into Practice and the National Evaluation Center for AHRQ’s Healthcare Extension Service: State-based Solutions to Healthcare Improvement. The NCC recipient will provide services in four main areas: 1) technical assistance; 2) establishment and support of learning networks of state-based healthcare extension cooperative grant recipients; 3) communications related to cooperatives’ activities and lessons learned; and 4) leadership and project management. The NCC recipient will contribute to the overall goal to accelerate dissemination and implementation of PCOR evidence through improvements in healthcare policy, payment, and practice and to reduce healthcare disparities, especially among people who receive Medicaid, are uninsured, or are otherwise medically underserved.
AHRQ intends to fund one award for a project period of up to 5 years for the NCC.
The NOFO is expected to be published in Summer 2024 with an expected application due in Fall 2024.
National Evaluation Center for AHRQ's Healthcare Extension Service: State-based Solutions to Healthcare Improvement (U19)
This NOFO will invite applications for a National Evaluation Center (NEC) to evaluate AHRQ’s Healthcare Extension Service: State-based Solutions to Healthcare Improvement. The NEC will: 1) develop data, measures, and methods to assess the range, reach, and effectiveness of healthcare extension service models proposed and implemented by state cooperative recipients; and 2) conduct a multi-method rapid-cycle formative and summative program evaluation of the healthcare extension service, as well as the technical assistance and other services provided by the initiative’s National Coordinating Center. The NEC recipient will contribute to the overall goal to accelerate dissemination and implementation of PCOR evidence through improvements in healthcare policy, payment, and practice and to reduce healthcare disparities, especially among people who receive Medicaid, are uninsured, or are otherwise medically underserved.
AHRQ intends to fund one award for a project period of up to 5 years for the NEC.
The NOFO is expected to be published in Summer 2024 with an expected application due date in Fall 2024.
These projects will build on AHRQ’s prior Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund investments and leverage AHRQ’s expertise in supporting healthcare transformation and learning health systems. More information is available about PCOR at AHRQ and in AHRQ’s strategic framework for the Agency’s PCOR Trust Fund investments.
This Notice of Information is being provided to allow potential applicants sufficient time to develop meaningful collaborations and responsive applications. General information about AHRQ’s research policies, including the grant application, review, and award process, can be accessed here.
Please direct all inquiries to: AHRQ_HES@ahrq.hhs.gov.
Note: This Notice of Information expands upon a previous Notice of Intent for this initiative.
Further information about AHRQ’s Healthcare Extension Service and this Notice of Information is available in a JAMA Viewpoint by AHRQ’s Laura Sessums, J.D., M.D., Robert Otto Valdez, Ph.D., M.H.S.A., and Karin Verlaine Rhodes M.D., M.S., dated June 6, 2024. https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2819779.
