FACACLASSIC

Note: An Annual Comprehensive Review, as required by §7 of the Federal Advisory Committee Act, is conducted each year on committee data entered for the previous fiscal year (referred to as the reporting year). The data for the reporting year is not considered verified until this review is complete and the data is moved to history for an agency/department. See the Data From Previous Years section at the bottom of this page for the committee’s historical, verified data.

Details on agency responses to committee recommendations can be found under the Performance Measures section for each committee in the fields “Agency Feedback” and “Agency Feedback Comment.”

HHS - 894 - Health Services Research Initial Review Group - Statutory (Congress Created)

GENERAL INFORMATION

Committee Name	Health Services Research Initial Review Group	Agency Name	Department of Health and Human Services
Fiscal Year	2025	Committee Number	894
Original Establishment Date	12/19/1989	Committee Status	Chartered
Actual Termination Date		Committee URL
Actual Merged Date		Presidential Appointments*	No
New Committee This FY	No	Max Number of Members*	125
Terminated This FY	No	Designated Fed Officer Position Title*	Director, Office of Research Review, Education, and Policy, AHRQ
Merged This FY		Designated Federal Officer Prefix	Dr.
Current Charter Date	6/15/1990	Designated Federal Officer First Name*	Francis
Date Of Renewal Charter		Designated Federal Officer Middle Name
Projected Termination Date		Designated Federal Officer Last Name*	Chesley
Exempt From Renewal*	Yes	Designated Federal Officer Suffix	MD
Specific Termination Authority		Designated Federal Officer Phone*	(301) 427-1521
Establishment Authority*	Statutory (Congress Created)	Designated Federal Officer Fax*	(301) 427-1562
Specific Establishment Authority*	42 U.S.C. 299c-1 Section 922 of PHS Act	Designated Federal Officer Email*	francis.chesley@ahrq.hhs.gov
Effective Date Of Authority*	12/19/1989
Exempt From EO 13875 Discretionary Cmte	Not Applicable
Committee Type*	Continuing
Presidential*	No
Committee Function*	Grant Review Committee

RECOMMENDATION/JUSTIFICATIONS

Agency Recommendation*	Continue
Legislation to Terminate Required	No
Legislation Status	Not Applicable
How does cmte accomplish its purpose?*	This Committee reviews research grant applications for scientific and technical merit. Its recommendations are advisory to the Director, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and to the appropriate advisory councils.
How is membership balanced?*	Membership includes physicians and non-physicians--the latter representing the fields of psychology, sociology, nursing, dentistry, biostatistics, economics, operations research, hospital administration, survey research and measurements, children care, health status, and policy analysis. Special interests of the physicians include primary care, neonatal care, epidemiology, pediatrics, quality assurance, health promotion, and ethics. These professionals, specialties, disciplines, and interests are representative of those involved in the research grant applications reviewed.
How frequent & relevant are cmte mtgs?*	This committee consists of five study sections and they meet three times a year in keeping with the practice of Public Health Service study sections to review research grant applications. The meetings are scheduled a full year in advance, are coordinated with three deadlines for submission of applications and are essential to the continuation of AHRQ's extramural program in health services research.
Why advice can't be obtained elsewhere?*	By Law, a panel of non-Federal experts must review for scientific merit grant applications exceeding $50,000 in direct cost. The Health Services Research Initial Review Group (IRG) is the non-Federal panel with the most appropriate mix of expertise for the review of applications proposing research in the delivery and financing of health care activities. While primarily reviewing applications assigned to the AHRQ, the IRG committee also reviews those applications assigned to other PHS agencies, especially the National Institutes of Health, when their expertise is required of the kind represented on the committee.
Why close or partially close meetings?	Portions of the meetings involve review, discussion, and evaluation of individual grant applications. These applications and the discussions of them are likely to reveal personal information concerning individuals associated with the applications.
Recommendation Remarks	The Agency does not have a website. The October 2023 meetings were held in person and all other meetings were virtual. All grants funding recommendations were made within fiscal year 2024 (October 1, 2023 – September 30, 2024) HCRT May was cancelled due to Administrative Reasons and all applications were moved to the July 19-23 meeting. The HCRT chair Kristan Staudenmayer resigned on 4/1/2024 and Alicia Arbaje was appointed to replace her as chair on 6/1/2024. There were 9 retirements due to personal and workload issues and they are as follows. Sean Mooney, 3/31/2024, Mary Reed, 10/31/2023, Lee Green, 3/31/2024, Holly Lanham, 3/31/2024, Barbara Sorondo, 2/28/2024, David Kaber, 12/1/2024, Xudong Zhang, 3/30/2024, Oguchi Nwosu 3/23/2024 and Rodney Haring 10/01/2023 - 9/11/2024. All the start dates and end dates are recorded in the members section. Duplicate ad hoc members for 3 meetings a year for IRG meetings, Shan Liu and Eun-Shim Nam, 10/11/2023 – 10/12/2023 and 5/22/2023, Renee Salas, 10/10/2023 and 6/13/2024, Katie Lichter, 2/13/2024 and 6/13/2024, Adam Atherly, Abhishek Deshpande, Mistry Humphries, John Hsu, Sally Maliski, Cynthia Sieck, 10/19/2023 – 10/20/2023, 2/15/2024 – 2/20/2024, 7/19/2024 – 7/23/2024 and Lisa Merck 10/19/2023 -10/20/2023 and 2/15 – 2/20/2024. Karsten Bartels, Kit M. Simpson, Thomas Valley, Fernado Wilson were also duplicate standing section members that served as ad hoc members on 7/19 - 7/23, 2024 . All these are noted in the members section of the report

PERFORMANCE MEASURES

Outcome Improvement To Health Or Safety*	Yes	Action Reorganize Priorities*	No
Outcome Trust In Government	Yes	Action Reallocate Resources	Yes
Outcome Major Policy Changes	No	Action Issued New Regulations	No
Outcome Advance In Scientific Research	Yes	Action Proposed Legislation	No
Outcome Effective Grant Making	Yes	Action Approved Grants Or Other Payments	Yes
Outcome Improved Service Delivery	No	Action Other	No
Outcome Increased Customer Satisfaction	No	Action Comment	NA
Outcome Implement Laws/Reg Requirements	Yes	Grants Review*	Yes
Outcome Other	No	Number Of Grants Reviewed	529
Outcome Comment	NA	Number Of Grants Recommended	89
Cost Savings*	Unable to Determine	Dollar Value Of Grants Recommended	$22,035,159.00
Cost Savings Comment	NA	Grants Review Comment	N/A
Number Of Recommendations*	0	Access Contact Designated Fed. Officer*	Yes
Number Of Recommendations Comment	The IRG doesn't make any recommendations.	Access Agency Website
% of Recs Fully Implemented*	0.00%	Access Committee Website
% of Recs Fully Implemented Comment	NA	Access GSA FACA Website	Yes
% of Recs Partially Implemented*	0.00%	Access Publications	No
% of Recs Partially Implemented Comment	NA	Access Other	No
Agency Feedback*	Yes	Access Comment
Agency Feedback Comment*	The Agency provides feedback at review meetings and through their minutes and meeting dates are posted in the Federal Register Notice 30 days before the meeting. The Federal Register Notice is accessible to the public @ www.federalregister.gov. The Agency provides feedback at review meetings and through their minutes and meeting dates are posted in The Federal Register notice 30 days before the meeting.	Narrative Description*	The Agency offers grant funding to support projects that carry out its mission and strategic plan. The grant applications for funding are evaluated by the committee which assembles the appropriate scientific and technical expertise needed to render judgments about the relative merit of submitted applications. The Committee's judgments are articulated in written form and passed to the Agency decision-makers for determining which applications are to be funded.

COSTS

1. Payments to Non-Federal Members*		1. Est Paymnts to Non-Fed Membrs Nxt FY*
2. Payments to Federal Members*		2. Est. Payments to Fed Members Next FY*
3. Payments to Federal Staff*		3. Estimated Payments to Federal Staff*
4. Payments to Consultants*		4. Est. Payments to Consultants Next FY*
5. Travel Reimb. For Non-Federal Membrs*		5. Est Travel Reimb Non-Fed Membr nxtFY*
6. Travel Reimb. For Federal Members*		6. Est Travel Reimb For Fed Members*
7. Travel Reimb. For Federal Staff*		7. Est. Travel Reimb to Fed Staf Nxt FY*
8. Travel Reimb. For Consultants*		8. Est Travel Reimb to Consltnts Nxt FY*
10. Other Costs		10. Est. Other Costs Next FY*
11. Total Costs	$0.00	11. Est. Total Next FY*	$0.00
Date Cost Last Modified	3/14/2025 9:45 AM	Est. Fed Staff Support Next FY*
Federal Staff Support (FTE)*		Est Cost Remarks
Cost Remarks

Interest Areas

Category Area Health Aging Health Care Hospitals Medical Education Medical Practitioners Public Health Safety Treatment Medicine Diseases Health and Health Research Illnesses Medicine and Dentistry

Custom Links

Committee Level Reports