National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study

In January 2020, the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers (NSLTCP) was renamed the National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS). This new name reflects the addition of more post-acute sectors (i.e. inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long-term care hospitals), while keeping the same sectors that have been in the study since it launched in 2012 (adult day services centers, assisted living and similar residential care communities, home health agencies, hospices, and nursing homes). The information NCHS plans to collect about adult day services centers and participants and residential care communities and residents will not change. Please contact us at ltcsbfeedback@cdc.gov with your questions about this exciting change.

NPALS monitors trends in the supply, provision, and use of the major sectors of paid, regulated long-term care services. NPALS uses survey data on the residential care community and adult day services sectors, and administrative data on the home health, nursing home, hospice, inpatient rehabilitation, and long-term care hospital sectors. The vision for NPALS is to offer reliable, accurate, relevant and timely national and state statistical information to support and inform post-acute and long-term care services policy, research and practice.