Health Services and Primary Care Research Study: Comprehensive Report

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research (HSR)
• Primary Care Research (PCR)
• Health Policy and Management

Background:

• Congressionally mandated assessment of federal research funding.
• Focus on U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) from FYs 2012-2018.
• Examines the federal health services research and primary care research enterprise.

Purpose of the Study:

• Characterize distinct agency contributions to federal HSR and PCR.
• Identify opportunities to improve coordination and detect overlap in research portfolios.
• Assess the impact and cumulative effects of HSR and PCR, and identify research gaps.

Main Methods:

• Technical expert panels.
• Stakeholder interviews.
• Systematic environmental scan of research grants and contracts.

Main Results:

• Characterization of agency contributions to HSR and PCR.
• Identification of areas for improved coordination and overlap detection.
• Analysis of research impacts, cumulative effects, and identification of gaps in funding, methods, and dissemination.

Conclusions:

• Recommendations to maximize outcomes and value of federal HSR and PCR investments.
• Guidance for future research to meet the needs of the evolving U.S. healthcare system.
• Enhancing the impact and efficiency of federally funded health research.