The Long-Term Care (LTC) Data Cooperative has a new article in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS) showcasing what the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) calls the “quality and breadth” of LTC resident population data available via the initiative.

The Cooperative is a profession-led resource that gathers electronic health records data from participating skilled nursing facilities (SNF) and assisted living communities for the principal purposes of public health surveillance and comparative effective research.

AHCA/NCAL governs the project in partnership with the IMPACT Collaboratory at Brown University, Hebrew Senior Life, and New York University, and is funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA).

On the data appearing in JAGS, Dr. Elizabeth Burns, AHCA/NCAL’s chief medical officer, said “this is a reflection and validation of the mission of the LTC Data Cooperative to advance quality care by making clinical data accessible and actionable.”

The LTC Data Cooperative began as a response to challenges providers and the nation faced during the COVID-19 pandemic due to limited evidence available to clinicians about infection transmission and vaccine effectiveness in long-term care populations, AHCA/NCAL said.

Studies currently approved to use data from the LTC Data Cooperative include how SNF residents are affected by differential access to vision care and Institutional Special Needs Plans (I-SNPs). The results from these studies will help to inform clinical practice and policy, the authors note.

To read the full article in JAGS, click here.

For more information on the LTC Data Cooperative, click here.

Comments or questions? Contact Patrick Connole at pconnole@parkplacelive.com.