The IOM Evaluates the Quality of Long-Term Care
Expansion of a study on improving quality in long-term care
From mid-1997 to early 2001, the National Academy of Sciences — Institute of Medicine (IOM) examined the quality of care for individuals in nursing homes and other long-term care settings and published a book, Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care. See the Bibliography.
Key Findings
Among the major findings reported in Improving the Quality of Long-Term Care:
- There is no core set of quality measures that apply across long-term care settings and services to nursing homes, home care, assisted living facilities, and board and care homes.
- While OBRA '87 resulted in some improvements in quality of care, serious problems persist in some nursing homes.
- Serious deficiencies remain in the implementation of government programs to assess and enforce basic standards of quality in long-term care.
The book made a series of Recommendations.
Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) provided two grants totaling $750,104 in support of the project, from August 1997 to July 1999.