WASHINGTON — Congressman Vicente Gonzalez joined 31 members of Congress in urging congressional leadership to include $71 million in funding for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in the next COVID-19 relief package.
The congressman’s press release said this funding would give AHRQ the capacity to evaluate the U.S. health care system’s response to the pandemic, pinpointing shortcomings, and improve national preparedness for future crises.
AHRQ is the country’s sole federal agency focused on generating research to advance health care delivery system efficiency.
The release also said the Members of Congress emphasized the need to have AHRQ evaluate telehealth obstacles for vulnerable populations, as well as telehealth privacy concerns, deficiencies in the supply chain resulting in ventilator and personal protective equipment shortages, and care delivery, planning, and capacity shortfalls.
The full text of the letter to House leadership is available here.
