PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
New Recommendations Call for States to Strengthen Long-Term Care Services by Collecting Workforce Data
State policymakers grappling with soaring demand for eldercare and disability services, particularly in home and community-based settings, face an enormous challenge: maintaining a stable, skilled direct-service workforce that can deliver quality services to consumers.
A new set of recommendations (pdf 1MB) from the National Direct Service Workforce Resource Center, funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, suggests that a first step in addressing this challenge is adequate data collection.
The Center recommends that states collect a minimum data set, including three basic elements:
- Numbers of direct service workers (full time and part time),
- Stability of workforce (turnover and vacancies), and
- Average compensation of workers (wages and benefits).
Set forth in a new white paper authored by PHI Director of Policy Research Dorie Seavey and National Policy Director Steve Edelstein, the paper argues that this information is essential for states to know in order to assess the magnitude of their workforce issues, design appropriate policy responses, and, finally, assess the impact of new policies and/or trends over time.
Dr. Seavey notes, “having data on basic workforce indicator variables has become an essential ingredient of sound long-term care policymaking.”
The recommendations from the National Direct Service Workforce Resource Center call for voluntary participation by interested states. The paper’s authors note, “We envision not an additional layer of federally-imposed data collection requirements, but ideally cross-state collaborations, perhaps with federal support, to develop common frameworks for effective data collection, analysis, and use of direct service workforce data.”
CONTACT:
Karen Kahn
Director of Communications
978.740.9844
kkahn@PHInational.org
Steve Edelstein
National Policy Director
718.402.7413
sedelstein@PHInational.org
#####
About the National Direct Service Worker Resource Center: NDSWRC is an historic collaborative effort of the nation’s key eldercare/disability services workforce experts, including PHI. Its policy experts span service systems for individuals of all ages with physical, developmental, or intellectual disabilities, and with chronic illnesses and end-of-life care needs. The data collection recommendations are informed by the Resource Center’s experience providing in-depth technical assistance to 15 states and general assistance to a dozen more states working to strengthen their direct care service workforce.
About PHI: PHI works to improve the lives of people who need home and residential care—and the lives of the workers who provide that care. Using our workplace and policy expertise, we help consumers, workers and employers improve long-term care by creating quality direct-care jobs. Our goal is to ensure caring, stable relationships between consumers and workers, so that both may live with dignity, respect, and independence.
The data recommendations will be very helpful, but regarding quality of care, data collected regarding staff training/education would also be helpful. We could then make comparisons associated with each of these variables particularly those associated with quality measures which are already being collected and listed on nursing home compare.any comments/thoughts? Also, why voluntary participation and not required? Could there be an incentive for states who would collect the information? Thanks! deb