About - History of NPALS

Key points

  • The National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS) began in 2012 as the National Study of Long-term Care Providers, or NSLTCP.
  • NSLTCP studied adult day services centers, assisted living and similar residential care communities, home health agencies, hospices, and nursing homes.
  • The transition to NPALS brings a new scope, adding more post-acute sectors while keeping the original sectors.
NPALS logo

Background

From 2012 to 2018, this study was called the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP). In 2020, its named was changed to the National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS). The new name reflects an increase in post-acute sectors, like inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals.

NPALS retains the same sectors that have been in NSLTCP since its launch in 2012. These include adult day services centers, assisted living and similar residential care communities, home health agencies, hospices, and nursing homes.

A new name, an expanded scope

In 2009, a key recommendation of the external review panel of NCHS' Board of Scientific Counselors was to integrate all existing and future long-term care provider surveys into a unified study. With NPALS, a study designed to be responsive to multiple factors, NCHS has achieved this goal.

NSLTCP replaced NCHS' previous National Nursing Home Survey, National Home and Hospice Care Survey, and National Survey of Residential Care Facilities. NPALS further expands NSLTCP.

The information NCHS plans to collect about adult day services centers, their participants, and residential care communities and residents will not change.

Resources

Please contact us at ltcsbfeedback@cdc.gov with your questions about this exciting change.