The Issue: Lack of Evidence from Research on Residents in Post-Acute and Long Term Care Settings
Professionals in long term care are well aware of the limited information available on what improves outcomes for our residents. Most clinical guidelines are based on studies that often exclude older adults. When these individuals are included, they typically are not very ill; almost all studies omit residents from skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) who may have cognitive impairments, multiple chronic diseases, and take numerous medications.
The Opportunity: The Long-Term Care Data Cooperative
By joining the LTC Data Cooperative, all long term care provider organizations can help bridge this evidence gap. The LTC Data Cooperative collects EHR data from major long term care EHR vendors on behalf of providers. Governed by AHCA/NCAL and supported by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), in collaboration with Brown University and a data science firm, the LTC Data Cooperative aims to enhance health care operations, improve public health surveillance, and facilitate research that benefits the provider community. Data from SNFs’ electronic health records (EHRs) provide researchers with more timely and comprehensive information specific to our residents.
Examples of Current Research Using the LTC Data Cooperative
The LTC Data Cooperative's Research Review Committee, primarily consisting of provider representatives, evaluates whether a researcher can access the data. Proposals must align with the LTC Data Cooperative's mission to generate insights on effective interventions in the SNF environment.
Some of the ongoing research and evaluation projects include:
- Improving Antibiotic Stewardship for UTI and Pneumonia in Residents with Dementia (TRAIN-AD): This study trains staff, families, and caregivers on best practices in infection management for residents with dementia across approximately 50 skilled nursing facilities in an integrated provider network. Researchers access EHR data to identify eligible residents and evaluate the intervention's outcomes.
- Prevention of Injury in Skilled Nursing Facilities through Medication Optimization (PRISM): This program provides information to SNF residents, families, and providers about how much benefit they will get from starting osteoporosis medications or reducing medications that cause falls but may relieve other important symptoms. Researchers will use EHR data to evaluate outcomes.
- Identifying Important Drug-Drug Interactions in Nursing Home Residents (NH-DDIs): Researchers develop and test an algorithm to identify significant drug-drug interaction risks among residents, including those with Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementias. The findings aim to improve clinical decision support software and resident outcomes.
- Deprescribing of Diabetes Treatment Regimens in Long-Term Care Residents with Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias: The STRIDE Intervention evaluates the effectiveness of educating SNF clinicians on reducing unnecessary hypoglycemic medications.
- Using EHR-Medicare Linked Data to Examine Responses to and the Impact of COVID-19 in Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNF): Researchers document the incidence, prevalence, and treatment of COVID-19 in U.S. SNFs using detailed EHR data.
Join the LTC Data Cooperative
Thousands of providers have already joined the LTC Data Cooperative, and you can too! If you are interested in joining the Cooperative or have any questions, please reach out to
LTCDataCooperative@AHCA.org and we will walk you through the enrollment process.
This work is supported by the National Institute on Aging.