Health Services Research Grants

Health Services Research Grants

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Foundation for Physical Therapy Research
Amount: US $40,000
Last Updated: June 07, 2025

Summary

The Health Services Research Grants, offered by the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research, focus on enhancing physical therapy services through evidence-based studies. Researchers are encouraged to explore areas such as therapy utilization, cost-effectiveness, and access barriers using rigorous methodologies. Proposals must align with the 2023 APTA Research Agenda, addressing topics that improve patient outcomes and care delivery, particularly in underserved populations. This initiative aims to elevate the role of physical therapists and optimize healthcare access.

Overview

Areas of Study Health services research (HSR) is a multidisciplinary field that investigates how social factors, financing systems, organizational structures and processes, health technologies, and personal behaviors affect access to health care, the quality and cost of health care, and outcomes of care. HSR in physical therapy provides evidence to inform the decision making of clinicians, patients, policymakers, and healthcare providers and payers that improves safety, timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, and accessibility of physical therapy care. Proposed studies may focus on physical therapy utilization and access to care, comparative clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness,2 and/or implementation strategies. Proposals should use rigorous health services research designs and methodologies. Proposed studies may include primary data collection or use secondary analysis of large data sets, such as electronic healthcare records, national survey data, insurance claims databases, or federal and state healthcare claims databases. Funding Priorities Proposed studies must address one or more of the priorities found in the 2023 APTA Research Agenda. Here are the priorities listed in the HSR section of the agenda: Determine the role and value of physical therapists as movement specialists at the primary entry point of care and identify the associated privileges (e.g., direct access and prescriptive authority) on patient outcomes.Examine access and payment barriers to physical therapy as a primary care service.Compare the effectiveness and/or cost-effectiveness of physical therapy delivered via different care models (e.g., concurrent treatments, group therapy, and one-on-one).Examine value (e.g., cost-effectiveness, impact on longer-term clinical outcomes, and quality of life) of physical therapy compared with non-rehabilitation treatments for common clinical conditions and/or specific patient populations.Explore the impact of various payment models and insurance payment policies on access to care, patient and clinical outcomes, and downstream costs and utilization.Examine costs and benefits of various technologies to improve health care delivery and decrease administrative burden.Examine the impact of physical therapist services on downstream health care utilization.Examine effective ways to organize, finance, and deliver high-quality physical therapy care in underserved rural and urban population settings.Explore methods for increasing access to physical therapist services within different socioeconomic groups.

Eligibility

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