Long-term care: nursing home quality and safety--2005. End of Year Issue Brief

In 2002, the Government Accountability Office reported that more than 1.7 million senior citizens resided in over 17,000 nursing homes across the United States. A 2003 Administration on Aging report predicted that number would increase dramatically as the "baby-boom" generation ages. Accordingly, legislators and nursing home administrators have striven to develop facilities that provide safe, high-quality eldercare to the nations' growing senior population. The Health Policy Tracking Service (HPTS) published a study in January--2005 Health Care Priorities Report--that depicts state lawmakers' concern for nursing home quality and safety. To policymakers, nursing home quality and safety is a very high priority, second only to Medicaid. The HPTS survey also indicated that 38 states planned to address senior facility safety in 2005 by adopting more stringent employee background checks, higher staffing standards and strict licensure requirements