Title: New Web Site Will Promote Improvements in the U.S. Long-term Care System
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Section/SPIG: Aging & Public Health
Issue Date:
More than 1.4 million Americans live in nursing homes today. By 2020, an estimated 12 million will need long-term care, whether in a nursing home, assisted living facility, chronic care hospital or from an at-home health service provider. With major grant funding from the National Institute on Aging, Brown University researchers have created a Web site, www.LTCfocUS.org (live July 2009) aimed at providing information to improve the nation’s long-term care system – and the lives of the elderly who rely on that system. The www.LTCfocUS.org Web site hosts data regarding the health and functional status of nursing home residents, characteristics of care facilities, state policies relevant to long term care services and financing, and new survey data regarding delivery of care in nursing home settings. The data on the site will enable researchers to trace a clear relationship between state policies and local market forces and the quality of long-term care. Researchers can use this Web site to examine care processes and resident outcomes within the context of their local markets and regulatory practices. Policy-makers can use the information to shape state and local guidelines, policies, and regulations that promote high-quality, cost-effective, equitable care to older Americans. Together, it is anticipated that these audiences will have the data, tools and results to better understand the long-term care system, and to achieve improvements in how care is organized, financed and delivered.