Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Climate Impact of Healthcare Systems
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services. AHRQ is charged with conducting research "to enhance the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of health services, and access to such services, through the establishment of a broad base of scientific research and through the promotion of improvements in clinical and health system practices, including the prevention of diseases and other health conditions." (42 U.S.C. 299(b))
On September 22, 2022, AHRQ released a primer—Reducing Healthcare Carbon Emissions: A Primer on Measures and Actions to Mitigate Climate Change (AHRQ Publication No. 22-M011)—to help healthcare organizations reduce their carbon footprint and protect communities from climate threats. The primer describes six domains contributing to GHG emissions in healthcare: building energy, transportation, anesthetic gas, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, medical devices and supplies, and food. Building on this framework, the primer identifies core and elective measures to track progress and critical strategies for reducing GHG in each domain. The primer also features vignettes of what health systems have done to reduce GHG and includes a collection of resources and tools to support implementation.
Biden Administration (2021-2025)
Primer for Reducing Healthcare Carbon Emissions
On September 22, 2022, AHRQ released a primer—Reducing Healthcare Carbon Emissions: A Primer on Measures and Actions to Mitigate Climate Change (AHRQ Publication No. 22-M011)—to help healthcare organizations reduce their carbon footprint and protect communities from climate threats. The primer describes six domains contributing to GHG emissions in healthcare: building energy, transportation, anesthetic gas, pharmaceuticals and chemicals, medical devices and supplies, and food. Building on this framework, the primer identifies core and elective measures to track progress and critical strategies for reducing GHG in each domain. The primer also features vignettes of what health systems have done to reduce GHG and includes a collection of resources and tools to support implementation.
Request for Information to Address Climate Change
On October 13, 2021, AHRQ published a notice of request for information on how AHRQ—an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services—can best address climate change through its core competencies of health systems research, practice improvement, and data & analytics. (86 Fed. Reg. 56953, Oct. 13, 2021) In particular, AHRQ sought information on “how the agency can best use its resources to help build the healthcare system’s resilience to climate threats, reduce the healthcare industry’s contribution to climate change while increasing sustainability, and address environmental justice issues in healthcare.”
In an April 21, 2022 blog post, the AHRQ deputy director and the leader of its climate change working group reported that AHRQ received “hundreds of pages of comments and suggestions from more than 50 organizations and individuals, representing large healthcare systems, solo practitioners, environmental advocacy groups, medical device manufacturers, legal scholars, and many others."