Supporting the Management of Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care and other Ambulatory Settings (R18) | RFA HS 23 005

Opportunity Information: Apply for RFA HS 23 005

Supporting the Management of Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care and other Ambulatory Settings (R18) is a discretionary grant opportunity from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) focused on strengthening how primary care clinics and other outpatient or ambulatory settings respond to substance use disorders, with particular attention to opioid misuse alongside other substances. The core purpose is to fund projects that do more than describe a problem: applicants are expected to develop and test practical, real-world strategies that increase a clinic or ambulatory practice's capacity to deliver evidence-based, patient-centered care. In plain terms, AHRQ is looking for approaches that can be implemented in everyday clinical workflows and that improve how patients are identified, engaged, treated, and supported over time in settings where many people first seek care.

The emphasis on "evidence-based" and "patient-centered" signals that funded projects should align with established clinical research and guidelines while also being designed around patient needs, preferences, and circumstances. This may include strategies that help primary care teams better recognize risky substance use, initiate or coordinate treatment, manage co-occurring conditions, and connect patients to additional services when needed. Because the focus is on "capacity," the work generally needs to address the systems and supports that make care feasible in outpatient settings, such as team-based care models, clinical decision support, workflow redesign, referral and care coordination pathways, training and implementation supports, and measurement of outcomes that matter to patients and practices. The R18 mechanism also implies an applied, demonstration-and-evaluation orientation, meaning AHRQ expects a clear plan for testing the strategy and generating usable lessons for other healthcare settings.

Eligibility is broad and includes many types of U.S.-based organizations that can plausibly build and evaluate these care-improvement strategies. Eligible applicants listed for this funding opportunity include state, county, and local governments; special district governments; independent school districts; public housing authorities and Indian housing authorities; public and state-controlled institutions of higher education; private institutions of higher education; federally recognized Native American tribal governments; and Native American tribal organizations that are not federally recognized. Both nonprofit organizations (including those with 501(c)(3) status and those without 501(c)(3) status) and for-profit organizations (other than small businesses, as well as small businesses) are also eligible. The notice further highlights additional eligible applicant categories that commonly serve communities disproportionately affected by substance use harms or that can play major roles in care delivery and community implementation, including Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions, Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institutions (AANAPISISs), Hispanic-serving Institutions, Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribally Controlled Colleges and Universities (TCCUs), faith-based or community-based organizations, regional organizations, eligible federal agencies, Indian/Native American Tribal Governments (other than federally recognized), and U.S. territories or possessions.

There are important restrictions on foreign involvement. Non-domestic (non-U.S.) entities or foreign institutions are not eligible to apply, and non-domestic components of U.S. organizations are not eligible to apply either. In other words, applicants and the operational components proposed for the work need to be based in the United States or its territories, consistent with AHRQ's program eligibility rules.

Administratively, this opportunity is identified as Funding Opportunity Number RFA-HS-23-005 under the Health funding activity category (CFDA 93.226). The original closing date shown is April 15, 2023, and the listed award ceiling is $625,000. The posting indicates an expected number of awards, but the number is not provided in the source text you shared. The opportunity was created on February 15, 2023. Overall, the grant is aimed at generating implementable, evaluated solutions that help primary care and ambulatory settings deliver better, more consistent, evidence-based care to people experiencing opioid and other substance misuse, with a strong emphasis on approaches that can work in real outpatient practice environments.

• The Agency for Health Care Research and Quality in the health sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Supporting the Management of Substance Use Disorders in Primary Care and other Ambulatory Settings (R18)" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 93.226.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2023-02-15.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2023-04-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $625,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: State governments, County governments, City or township governments, Special district governments, Independent school districts, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Native American tribal governments (Federally recognized), Public housing authorities/Indian housing authorities, Native American tribal organizations (other than Federally recognized tribal governments), Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, For-profit organizations other than small businesses, Small businesses, Others.

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