Advance Package-NCHS Cover Letter with FAQs

Attachment E-1 - Advance Package-NCHS Cover Letter with FAQs

[NCHS Letterhead]

Date

Name of Director

Name of Community/Center

Community/Center Address

Community/Center City, State, Zip

Dear <Name of director>,

The CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics is conducting the 2022 National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS). You have been randomly selected to participate and you will represent other [residential care communities/adult day services centers] like yours.

NPALS tracks trends in seven major long-term care services sectors— assisted living and similar residential care, adult day, home health, nursing home, hospice, inpatient rehabilitation, and long-term care hospital. NPALS collects information about the characteristics of [residential care providers/adult day services centers], the services they offer, their staffing profile, and the demographics, functional status, and health of the [residents/participants] they serve. By participating you will help to improve the value of critical national information used by long-term care providers, planners, researchers, and policymakers. See the enclosed NCHS data brief as an example.

Participating in this study will involve you completing a provider questionnaire by web or mail and, with the help of a telephone interviewer, selecting two [residents/participants] using random sampling procedures and completing a questionnaire for each of the two [residents/participants]. We ask for approximately one hour of your time to participate.

The provider web questionnaire can be completed over a safe and secure network by going to this URL address and typing in your unique User ID and password: URL: XXXX User ID: XXXX Password: XXXX

Benefits to completing the provider questionnaire by web include getting only the questions that apply to your community/center based on your responses—so it takes less time—and having the option to print a copy of your completed questionnaire for your records. However, if you prefer to use hardcopy, please complete the enclosed questionnaire and return it in the pre-addressed, postage-paid envelope provided.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary, but will assist greatly in helping to further our nation’s understanding and planning for the long-term care needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Refusal to participate will involve no loss of benefits and participation can be discontinued at any time. Enclosed is a letter of approval from the Ethics Review Board at the National Center for Health Statistics. If you have questions about your rights as a participant in this research study, call the Ethics Review Board toll-free at 1-800-223-8118.

We take your privacy very seriously. Everything you tell us is confidential. The information you give us is ONLY used for statistical research. See reverse for more information. Enclosed is an NCHS confidentiality brochure. If you have any questions about confidentiality, call NCHS’ Confidentiality Officer at (888) 642-4159.

On the back of this letter are Frequently Asked Questions. To learn more about this study, please visit https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/npals/index.htm or call an NPALS representative at (XXX) XXX-XXXX.

Thank you, in advance, for your help with this important research study.

Sincerely,

Brian Moyer, PhD

Director, National Center for Health Statistics

2022 National Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Study (NPALS)

Residential Care Community Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why should I participate in this survey?

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) recognizes that residential care communities are an important component of the long-term care spectrum in the United States. NCHS’ National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS) (formerly known as the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers or NSLTCP) tracks changes, every two years, in the supply and use of seven major sectors of long-term care services—assisted living and similar residential care, adult day, home health, nursing home, hospice, inpatient rehabilitation, and long-term care hospital. When you participate in NPALS, you help ensure that the survey data for residential care communities and current residents are up-to-date and accurately portray your industry to health care planners and policymakers.

Should I participate if I participated a couple of years ago?

Yes. Your participation in this 2022 survey is important. NPALS is conducted every two years to obtain accurate, up-to-date information about residential care communities, other long-term care providers, and the people they serve to detect changes in the long-term care industry over time.

What other residential care communities are being contacted to participate in this survey?

The survey includes about 2,090 residential care communities. To protect the privacy of individual residential care communities, their staff, and the residents they serve, we do not release the names of these residential care communities to anyone.

Why can’t some other community take our place?

You represent other communities like yours. If you do not participate in NPALS, there is no guarantee that residential care communities like yours will be represented adequately and the representation of your community’s unique qualities may be lost.

Where did you get my name?

Individual state licensing agencies provided the names of all licensed, certified, or otherwise regulated residential care communities in their respective states.

Will the results be made public?

Yes. NCHS intends to publish reports using 2022 NPALS survey data starting in late 2023. Reports will be published at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/npals/index.htm. If you would like to be notified when new NPALS products are available, please subscribe to the NCHS long-term care listserv by going to https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/npals/longterm_listserv.htm and completing the steps. While results from this survey will be made publicly available, all data will be kept strictly confidential and aggregated, so that the names of the communities, staff, residents, and respondents will not be identifiable.

Who will see my information?

We take your privacy very seriously. All information that relates to or describes identifiable characteristics of individuals, a practice, or an establishment will be used only for statistical purposes. NCHS staff, contractors, and agents 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 (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 he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you. In addition to the above cited laws, NCHS 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.

Who supports this study?

This survey is supported by The Center for Excellence in Assisted Living (CEAL), American Seniors Housing Association (ASHA), Argentum, LeadingAge, and the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living/ (AHCA/NCAL). The enclosed letter of support provides this specific information.

For more FAQS see [RCC participant webpage]

2020 National Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Study (NPALS)

Adult Day Services Center Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why should I participate in this survey?

CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) recognizes that adult day services centers are an important component of the long-term care spectrum in the United States. NCHS’ National Post-acute and Long-term Care Study (NPALS) (formerly known as the National Study of Long-Term Care Providers or NSLTCP) tracks changes, every two years, in the supply and use of seven major sectors of long-term care services—adult day, assisted living and similar residential care, home health, nursing home, hospice, inpatient rehabilitation, and long-term care hospital. When you participate in NPALS, you help ensure that the survey data for adult day services centers and enrolled participants are up-to-date and accurately portray your industry to health care planners and policymakers.

Should I participate if I participated a couple of years ago?

Yes. Your participation in this 2022 survey is important. NPALS is conducted every two years to obtain accurate, up-to-date information about adult day services centers, other long-term care providers, and the people they serve to detect changes in the long-term care industry over time.

What other adult day services centers are being contacted to participate in this survey?

The survey includes about 1,750 adult day services centers operating in the United States. To protect the privacy of individual centers, their staff, and the participants they serve, we do not release the names of these centers to anyone.

Why can’t some other center take our place?

You represent other centers like yours. If you do not participate in NSLTCP, there is no guarantee that adult day services centers like yours will be represented adequately and the representation of your center’s unique qualities will be lost.

Where did you get my name?

A nonprofit association of adult day services centers, under contract to NCHS, compiled a list of all adult day services centers in the U.S.

Will the results be made public?

Yes. NCHS intends to publish reports using 2022 NPALS survey data starting in late 2023. Reports will be published at https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/npals/index.htm. If you would like to be notified when new NPALS products are available, please subscribe to the NCHS long-term care listserv by going to https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/npals/longterm_listserv.htm and completing the steps. While results from this survey will be made publicly available, all data will be kept strictly confidential and aggregated, so that the names of the centers, staff, participants, and respondents will not be identifiable.

Who will see my information?

We take your privacy very seriously. All information that relates to or describes identifiable characteristics of individuals, a practice, or an establishment will be used only for statistical purposes. NCHS staff, contractors, and agents 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 (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 he or she willfully discloses ANY identifiable information about you. In addition to the above cited laws, NCHS 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.

Who supports this study?

This survey is supported by the National Adult Day Services Association (NADSA), LeadingAge, and Advancing States. The enclosed letter of support provides this specific information.

For more FAQS see [ADSC participant webpage]

Web Survey Insert

(will revise to reflect 2022 wave)