Measuring the Quality of Home- and Community-Based Services: A Conversation about Strategic Directio
In February, AcademyHealth convened a group of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss what is known about the quality of home- and community-based services (HCBS), how to define and measure HCBS quality, and how defined measures might be used to improve quality. A summary of this meeting was recently published and is available on the AcademyHealth website.
In February, AcademyHealth convened a group of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to discuss what is known about the quality of home- and community-based services (HCBS), how to define and measure HCBS quality, and how defined measures might be used to improve quality. A summary of this meeting was recently published and is available on the AcademyHealth website, along with slide presentations from the speakers.
Millions of Americans receive long-term services and supports in their homes and in community settings. Indeed, the vast majority of older adults receiving supportive services, roughly 80 percent, live in private homes; only 20 percent reside in institutional settings—either nursing homes or other residential care settings. Despite the importance of the services and the vulnerability of the populations served, the size of the programs providing HCBS, and the growing demand for that care, relatively little is known about the quality of those services.
Among the points and takeaways raised in the panel were the following:
• Defining HCBS Services and Outcomes: More research is needed on the relationship between HCBS services and outcomes, with a focus on standardization regarding what the services are and what we expect these services to do.
• Meeting the Needs of Family Caregivers: More attention is needed on how HCBS meets goals pertaining to family caregivers, such as involving them in plans of care, communications with caregivers, and improving caregiver wellbeing.
• The Uses of HCBS Quality Measures: Greater conceptual development is needed on how HCBS quality measures will be used to improve the quality of services.
The meeting and summary is supported by the John A. Hartford Foundation and The SCAN Foundation.
Please visit the AcademyHealth website to read the entire summary.