NPALS Residential Care Community Survey

Overview

The National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS) provides information on major sectors of paid, regulated post-acute and long-term care services providers and services users, including residential care communities. The NPALS Residential Care Community (RCC) Survey collects information about residential care communities from their directors.

The NPALS RCC Survey provides insight into how residential care communities meet the needs of the older population and younger disabled adults. Data from this study informs helpful comparisons, research, and policy.

Why participate

The most reliable information comes directly from providers like you. For policymakers to make solid, evidence-based decisions about long-term care in the United States, it is essential that we collect these data.

Participation in the RCC Survey helps further our nation's understanding of the long-term care needs of the older population and younger disabled adults. Several national organizations representing residential care communities support and encourage participation in NPALS. These include—

• The Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL) and its collaborating organizations
• American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA)
• Argentum
• LeadingAge
• American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL)

See their joint letter of support.

Participation in the RCC Survey is voluntary. If selected communities don't participate, their unique qualities will not be represented in NPALS, making the results less accurate.

Who can participate

Only residential care communities that are invited to join can participate in the RCC Survey. The survey includes a scientifically selected, nationally representative sample of approximately 11,600 residential care communities operating in the United States. Those selected represent not only their residential care community, but also other comparable residential care communities of the same size and in the same part of the country.

The NPALS RCC Survey is usually conducted every other year, occurring in even years (2024, 2026, 2028, etc.). Each cycle, we will invite some residential care communities that have provided data for a previous NPALS to participate again in the current year. Participation in the current year's survey is important to ensure NPALS has up-to-date information about residential care communities, other long-term care services providers, and the people they serve. This allows us to provide current information and to detect changes in the long-term care industry over time.

Your privacy

The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) takes participant privacy very seriously. We do not release the names of residential care communities that participate in the survey to anyone. This protects the privacy of individual communities and the residents they serve.

Only NCHS employees working directly on this project, our specially designated agents (including contractors managing the survey), and our full research partners can see facilities' information collected in the survey.

Anyone else can only use your data after all information that could identify your facility and residents has been removed. All information that relates to or describes identifiable characteristics of RCC facilities and their residents is combined with other facilities' information before it is released. This protects everyone's identity.

Legal protections

NCHS staff, contractors, agents, and full research partners will not disclose or release responses in identifiable form without the consent of the individual or establishment in accordance with—

• Section 308(d) of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 242m(d)), and
• The Confidential Information Protection and Statistical Efficiency Act of 2018 or CIPSEA (Pub. L. No. 115-435, 132 Stat. 5529 § 302).

In accordance with CIPSEA, every NCHS employee, contractor, and agent has taken an oath and is subject to a jail term of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both if they willfully disclose ANY identifiable information about you.

NCHS also complies with the Federal Cybersecurity Enhancement Act of 2015 (6 U.S.C. §§ 151 and 151 note), which protects Federal information systems from cybersecurity risks by screening their networks.

The Privacy Rule mandated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) does not apply to NPALS. This study is not subject to the rule because it does not collect any personally identifiable information, like names, social security numbers, or birth dates of residential care community residents.

How data are collected

NPALS survey data are collected from residential care community directors, administrators, owners, operators, or their designated staff through a provider questionnaire. NCHS contracts with RTI International to collect the NPALS survey data. RTI International is an independent, nonprofit research organization and is a designated agent of NCHS.

How findings are used

NPALS data are used to describe and understand how long-term care services are delivered and the changes that occur in the delivery of those services over time. Users of NPALS data include—

• U.S. Congress and other public health policy makers
• Government agencies
• The long-term care industry, long-term care providers, and long-term care users
• Academic institutions
• Professional associations
• Health services researchers
• The media and the public