Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 17 August 2026
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Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine . The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not only on their own behalf, but also on behalf of the organization they represent.
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Experts say cuts to AHRQ threaten the future of health care quality and patient safety in the U.S.
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-03490
URL goes live when the embargo lifts
In a commentary published in Annals of Internal Medicine , Aaron E. Carroll, MD, MS and David Atkins, MD, MPH, a former Scientific Director of the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and Chief Medical Officer at the Center for Outcome and Evidence at Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), say that Trump administration cuts to AHRQ threaten the future of health care quality and patient safety in the United States. In their article, Drs. Carroll and Atkins explain how recent staffing cuts, funding disruptions, and organizational changes affect the AHRQ. They point out that the Trump administration’s actions have led to the cancellation of at least 115 approved research projects, raising concerns about the future of research that helps improve patient safety, health care quality, and medical decision-making in the United States. The authors argue that the loss of AHRQ could have far-reaching consequences for clinicians and patients by disrupting studies on diagnostic errors, maternal health, primary care, and other issues that no other federal agency is specifically tasked with addressing. They outline actions that Congress should take to mitigate the effects of the recent cuts to AHRQ, including urging the agency to resume regular meetings of the United States Preventative Services Task Force.
Media contacts: For an embargoed PDF, please contact Gabby Macrina at gmacrina@acponline.org. To contact corresponding authors David Atkins, MD, MPH and Aaron E Carroll, MD, MS, please email david.atkins.1958@gmail.com and aaron.carroll@academy-health.org.
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Also in this issue:
Randomized Quality Improvement Trials: An Overview and Proposed Framework for Ethical Oversight
Mark J. Pletcher, MD, MPH; Bernard Lo, MD; and Deborah Grady, MD
Research and Reporting Methods
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-00221
Editorial: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-02980
Infection Surveillance at 50: Are We Still Measuring What Matters?
Daniel Z. Uslan, MD, MBA
Ideas and Opinions
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-02245
Expediting Access to Biosimilars: Assessing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Revised Approach on Comparative Efficacy
Parthay H. Rokad, BS; Joseph T. Kannarkat, MD, MPP; and Umesh R. Desai, PhD
Abstract: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/ANNALS-26-02063
Annals of Internal Medicine
News article
People
AHRQ on the Brink: The Trump Administration Assault on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
18-Aug-2026