A model for the assessment, care, and treatment of suicidal risk within the military intelligence community.

This paper describes the development of a behavioral health and wellness model into the US Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) to address concerns about suicide within this community. In response to stresses existing within the intelligence community (IC), INSCOM partnered with the Army Public Health Center (APHC) to assess the health and wellbeing of Command personnel. A Community Health Assessment (CHA) survey was conducted (N = 2,704 Soldiers; N = 959 Civilians) that included focus groups across three installations and secondary source data. Six key areas were prioritized: suicide behavior, behavioral health access to care and health promotion, behavioral health stigma and maintaining clearances, workplace environment, sleep health, and overall fitness. Several actions were implemented to address the report's findings and recommendations. A Command Surgeon office was established within INSCOM. An INSCOM Health Assessment and Readiness Team (I-HART) was established. The Deputy Undersecretary of the Army provided support to address suicide within INSCOM by approving 4 highly qualified experts (HQE's) in behavioral health and clinical suicidology to provide research oversight and make recommendations. The Command General approved 8 behavioral health providers. There are planned research efforts within the command focusing on scalable and technology enabled care delivery to improve mental well-being and decrease suicides.

Leadership in Times of Crisis.

SUMMARY: In the wake of the death toll resulting from coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19), in addition to the economic turmoil and strain on our health care systems, plastic surgeons are taking a hard look at their role in crisis preparedness and how they can contribute to crisis response policies in their own health care teams. Leaders in the specialty are charged with developing new clinical policies, identifying weaknesses in crisis preparation, and ensuring survival of private practices that face untenable financial challenges. It is critical that plastic surgery builds on the lessons learned over the past tumultuous year to emerge stronger and more prepared for subsequent waves of COVID-19. In addition, this global health crisis presents a timely opportunity to reexamine how plastic surgeons can display effective leadership during times of uncertainty and stress. Some may choose to emulate the traits and policies of leaders who are navigating the COVID-19 crisis effectively. Specifically, the national leaders who offer empathy, transparent communication, and decisive action have maintained high public approval throughout the COVID-19 crisis, while aggressively controlling viral spread. Crises are an inevitable aspect of modern society and medicine. Plastic surgeons can learn from this pandemic to better prepare for future turmoil.

Representation of Ethics in the Plastic Surgery Literature: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: A 2009 systematic review demonstrated that ethical discourse was underrepresented in the plastic surgery literature; approximately one in 1000 articles contained ethical discussions. In the decade since, advances in plastic surgery and continued social progress have created new ethical dilemmas. However, it is unclear whether these developments have augmented the representation of ethics in the plastic surgery literature. A review of publications over the past decade can assess whether progress has been made and identify where deficits persist. METHODS: The authors searched eight bibliographic databases to identify peer-reviewed articles discussing ethical issues in plastic surgery over the past decade. Independent reviewers extracted characteristics and ethical principles from included articles. RESULTS: A total of 7097 articles were identified from the initial search and 531 articles were included for analysis. The principle of autonomy, present in 87.9 percent of articles, had the greatest representation, followed by beneficence (74.4 percent), nonmaleficence (72.3 percent), and justice (51.2 percent). Informed consent and face transplantation were the most prevalent topics discussed. Aesthetic surgery was the subdiscipline of plastic surgery with the greatest ethical discourse, representing 29.8 percent of all included articles. CONCLUSIONS: In the past decade, there was approximately a five-fold increase in plastic surgery publications that include ethical discourse, indicating a growing awareness of ethical implications by the plastic surgery community. However, representation of ethical principles remained uneven, and specific subdisciplines of plastic surgery were substantially underrepresented. Plastic surgeons should adopt a more comprehensive approach when framing ethical implications in clinical and research settings.

Cost-effectiveness of Recurrent Dupuytren Contracture Treatment.

Importance: Owing to its tendency to recur, Dupuytren contracture often requires multiple treatments, which places additional economic burden on health care. The likelihood of contracture recurrence varies not only with treatment but also with disease characteristics, such as contracture severity and location, but prior cost-effectiveness analyses of Dupuytren contracture treatments have not considered these patient-specific disease characteristics. Objective: To identify the most cost-effective treatment regimen for patients with recurrent Dupuytren contracture. Design, Setting, and Participants: This economic evaluation was conducted with state-transition microsimulation modeling using data from published studies and Medicare. A simulated cohort of 10 000 individuals with Dupuytren contracture was created. Patients could transition yearly between the following health states: symptom-free, symptomatic, and death. Available treatments were collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection, percutaneous needle aponeurotomy (PNA), and limited fasciectomy (LF); individuals randomly chose any treatment when symptomatic. Patients were limited to 3 rounds of treatment for a contracture affecting 1 joint, totaling 27 unique combinations. If the contracture recurred after 3 treatments, patients lived with the disease for the remainder of life. Exposures: PNA, collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection, or LF. Main Outcomes and Measures: Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), total costs (in US dollars), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs). A willingness-to-pay threshold of $100 000 per quality-adjusted life-year was used to assess cost-effectiveness. Results: For the base case scenario of a patient aged 60 years with recurrent, low-severity metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint contracture, repeated PNA treatment was the only cost-effective treatment (2 PNA treatments followed by LF vs 3 PNA treatments, ICER [Monte Carlo SE]: $212 647/QALY [$36 000/QALY]). For recurrent high-severity MCP joint contractures, treatment regimens composed of PNA and LF were cost-effective (ICER [Monte Carlo SE], $93 932/QALY [$16 500/QALY]). LF was cost-effective for high-severity MCP joint contracture (ICER [Monte Carlo SE], $98 624/QALY [$26 233/QALY]). For recurrent proximal interphalangeal (PIP) joint contractures, PNA was the only cost-effective treatment, regardless of severity (eg, 2 PNA treatments followed by LF vs 3 PNA treatments for low-severity PIP joint contracture, ICER [Monte Carlo SE]: $263 726/QALY [$29 000/QALY]). Any combination with collagenase clostridium histolyticum injection compared with 3 PNA treatments had an ICER greater than $100 000 per QALY. Probabilistic sensitivity analysis estimated a 44%, 15%, 41%, and 52% chance of a regimen consisting of only PNA being cost-effective in low-severity MCP, high-severity MCP, low-severity PIP, and high-severity PIP joint contractures, respectively. Conclusions and Relevance: The results of this study suggest that LF is a cost-effective intervention for recurrent high-severity MCP joint contractures. For recurrent low-severity MCP joint contractures and PIP joint contractures of all severity levels, PNA was the only cost-effective intervention. Collagenase clostridium histolyticum injections were not a cost-effective intervention for recurrent Dupuytren contracture and should not be preferred over PNA or LF.

Degree of Implementation of the Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (INTERACT) Quality Improvement Program Associated with Number of Hospitalizations.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether degree of implementation of the Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (INTERACT) program is associated with number of hospitalizations and emergency department (ED) visits of skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents. DESIGN: Secondary analysis from a randomized controlled trial. SETTING: SNFs from across the United States (N=264). PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred of the SNFs from the randomized trial that provided baseline and intervention data on INTERACT use. INTERVENTIONS: During a 12-month period, intervention SNFs received remote training and support for INTERACT implementation; control SNFs did not, although most control facilities were using various components of the INTERACT program before and during the trial on their own. MEASUREMENTS: INTERACT use data were based on monthly self-reports for SNFs randomized to the intervention group and pre- and postintervention surveys for control SNFs. Primary outcomes were rates of all-cause hospitalizations, potentially avoidable hospitalizations (PAHs), ED visits without admission, and 30-day hospital readmissions. RESULTS: The 65 SNFs (32 intervention, 33 control) that reported increases in INTERACT use had reductions in all-cause hospitalizations (0.427 per 1,000 resident-days; 11.2% relative reduction from baseline, p<.001) and PAHs (0.221 per 1,000 resident-days; 18.9% relative reduction, p<.001). The 34 SNFs (12 intervention, 22 control) that reported consistently low or moderate INTERACT use had statistically insignificant changes in hospitalizations and ED visit rates. CONCLUSION: Increased reported use of core INTERACT tools was associated with significantly greater reductions in all-cause hospitalizations and PAHs in both intervention and control SNFs, suggesting that motivation and incentives to reduce hospitalizations were more important than the training and support provided in the trial in improving outcomes. Further research is needed to better understand the most effective strategies to motivate SNFs to implement and sustain quality improvement programs such as INTERACT.

Using Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarker Testing to Target Treatment to Patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers are shown to facilitate a risk identification of patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) into different risk levels of progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Knowing a patient's risk level provides an opportunity for earlier interventions, which could result in potential greater benefits. We assessed the cost effectiveness of the use of CSF biomarkers in MCI patients where the treatment decision was based on patients' risk level. METHODS: We developed a state-transition model to project lifetime quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) and costs for a cohort of 65-year-old MCI patients from a US societal perspective. We compared four test-and-treat strategies where the decision to treat was based on a patient's risk level (low, intermediate, high) of progressing to AD with two strategies without testing, one where no patients were treated during the MCI phase and in the other all patients were treated. We performed deterministic and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to evaluate parameter uncertainty. RESULTS: Testing and treating low-risk MCI patients was the most cost-effective strategy with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of US$37,700 per QALY. Our results were most sensitive to the level of treatment effectiveness for patients with mild AD and for MCI patients. Moreover, the ICERs for this strategy at the 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles were US$18,900 and US$50,100 per QALY, respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on the best available evidence regarding the treatment effectiveness for MCI, this study suggests the potential value of performing CSF biomarker testing for early targeted treatments among MCI patients with a narrow range for the ICER.

Health Care Service Use Among Elderly Seasonal Migrators.

Elderly seasonal migrators share time between homes in different states, presenting challenges for care coordination and patient attribution methods. Medicare has prioritized alternative payment models, putting health care providers at risk for quality and value of services delivered to their attributed patients, regardless of the location of care. Little research is available to guide providers and payers on the service use of seasonal migrators. The authors use claims data on fee-for-service (FFS) Medicare beneficiaries' locations throughout the year to (1) identify seasonal migrators and (2) describe the care they receive in each seasonal home, focusing on primary care and emergency department (ED) visits and the relationships between the two. In all, 5.5% of the Medicare aged FFS population were identified as seasonal migrators, with 4.1% following the traditional snowbird pattern of migration, spending warm months in the north and cold months in the south. Migrators had higher rates of ED visits and primary care treatable (PCT) ED visits than the nonmigratory groups, controlling for location, age, race, sex, Medicaid status, season, and comorbidities. They also had more visits with specialist physicians, more days with outpatient services, and more days seeing a physician in any setting. Having local primary care strongly reduced rates of both PCT ED visits and total ED visits for all migration categories, with the greatest reduction seen in PCT ED visits by migrators (local primary care was associated with a 58% reduction in PCT ED visits by snowbirds and a 65% reduction in PCT ED visits by other migrators).

Societal and Family Lifetime Cost of Dementia: Implications for Policy.

OBJECTIVES: To estimate the cost of dementia and the extra cost of caring for someone with dementia over the cost of caring for someone without dementia. DESIGN: We developed an evidence-based mathematical model to simulate disease progression for newly diagnosed individuals with dementia. Data-driven trajectories of cognition, function, and behavioral and psychological symptoms were used to model disease progression and predict costs. Using modeling, we evaluated lifetime and annual costs of individuals with dementia, compared costs of those with and without clinical features of dementia, and evaluated the effect of reducing functional decline or behavioral and psychological symptoms by 10% for 12 months (implemented when Mini-Mental State Examination score ≤21). SETTING: Mathematical model. PARTICIPANTS: Representative simulated U.S. incident dementia cases. MEASUREMENTS: Value of informal care, out-of-pocket expenditures, Medicaid expenditures, and Medicare expenditures. RESULTS: From time of diagnosis (mean age 83), discounted total lifetime cost of care for a person with dementia was $321,780 (2015 dollars). Families incurred 70% of the total cost burden ($225,140), Medicaid accounted for 14% ($44,090), and Medicare accounted for 16% ($52,540). Costs for a person with dementia over a lifetime were $184,500 greater (86% incurred by families) than for someone without dementia. Total annual cost peaked at $89,000, and net cost peaked at $72,400. Reducing functional decline or behavioral and psychological symptoms by 10% resulted in $3,880 and $680 lower lifetime costs than natural disease progression. CONCLUSION: Dementia substantially increases lifetime costs of care. Long-lasting, effective interventions are needed to support families because they incur the most dementia cost.

Reliability and validity of the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) among Chinese community-dwelling older people.

OBJECTIVE: To translate the Tilburg Frailty Indicator (TFI) into Chinese and assess its reliability and validity. METHODS: A sample of 917 community-dwelling older people, aged ≥60 years, in a Chinese city was included between August 2015 and March 2016. Construct validity was assessed using alternative measures corresponding to the TFI items, including self-rated health status (SRH), unintentional weight loss, walking speed, timed-up-and-go tests (TUGT), making telephone calls, grip strength, exhaustion, Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire (SPMSQ), Geriatric Depression scale (GDS-15), emotional role, Adaptability Partnership Growth Affection and Resolve scale (APGAR) and Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS). Fried's phenotype and frailty index were measured to evaluate criterion validity. Adverse health outcomes (ADL and IADL disability, healthcare utilization, GDS-15, SSRS) were used to assess predictive (concurrent) validity. RESULTS: The internal consistency reliability was good (Cronbach's α=0.71). The test-retest reliability was strong (r=0.88). Kappa coefficients showed agreements between the TFI items and corresponding alternative measures. Alternative measures correlated as expected with the three domains of TFI, with an exclusion that alternative psychological measures had similar correlations with psychological and physical domains of the TFI. The Chinese TFI had excellent criterion validity with the AUCs regarding physical phenotype and frailty index of 0.87 and 0.86, respectively. The predictive (concurrent) validities of the adverse health outcomes and healthcare utilization were acceptable (AUCs: 0.65-0.83). CONCLUSIONS: The Chinese TFI has good validity and reliability as an integral instrument to measure frailty of older people living in the community in China.

Effects of Cognition, Function, and Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms on Medicare Expenditures and Health Care Utilization for Persons With Dementia.

BACKGROUND: Clinical features of dementia (cognition, function, and behavioral/psychological symptoms [BPSD]) may differentially affect Medicare expenditures/health care utilization. METHODS: We linked cross-sectional data from the Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study to Medicare data to evaluate the association between dementia clinical features among those with dementia and Medicare expenditures/health care utilization (n = 234). Cognition was evaluated using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Function was evaluated as the number of functional limitations (0-10). BPSD was evaluated as the number of symptoms (0-12). Expenditures were estimated with a generalized linear model (log-link and gamma distribution). Number of hospitalizations, institutional outpatient visits, and physician visits were estimated with a negative binomial regression. Medicare covered skilled nursing days were estimated with a zero-inflated negative binomial model. RESULTS: Cognition and BPSD were not associated with expenditures. Among individuals with less than seven functional limitations, one additional limitation was associated with $123 (95% confidence interval: $19-$227) additional monthly Medicare spending. Better cognition and poorer function were associated with more hospitalizations among those with an MMSE less than three and less than six functional limitations, respectively. BPSD had no effect on hospitalizations. Poorer function and fewer BPSD were associated with more skilled nursing among individuals with one to seven functional limitations and more than four symptoms, respectively. Cognition had no effect on skilled nursing care. No clinical feature was associated with institutional outpatient care. Of individuals with an MMSE less than 15, poorer cognition was associated with fewer physician visits. Among those with more than six functional limitations, poorer function was associated with fewer physician visits. CONCLUSIONS: Poorer function, not cognition or BPSD, was associated with higher Medicare expenditures.

Geographic Variation in Use of Vestibular Testing among Medicare Beneficiaries.

Objective There is a lack of consensus regarding the indications for vestibular testing in the evaluation of dizziness and balance disorders. Geographic variation in health services utilization is associated with lack of consensus. To understand the variation in current practice, we investigated the patterns of use of vestibular testing and diagnosis codes for dizziness and balance disorders among individuals ≥65 years of age across different regions of the United States. Study Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Medicare administrative claims data. Subjects and Methods Using the Summarized Denominator file, a sample of the US population linked to the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare files (years 2000-2010), we identified persons who were ≥65 years of age. We used multivariable analyses to determine the factors associated with vestibular testing and diagnoses. Results Of the 231,984 eligible Medicare beneficiaries, 27% were diagnosed with dizziness and balance disorders. Patterns of use of vestibular tests (eye movement recording for spontaneous nystagmus, caloric testing, and rotary chair testing) varied significantly by geographic region. Rotary chair test utilization varied most. We found significant geographic variation in vestibular testing and diagnoses after controlling for age, sex, race, Medicaid participation, and rurality. Conclusions There may be opportunities to improve the consistency and efficiency of care for dizziness and balance disorders. It will be important to define appropriate levels of vestibular diagnostic testing and which tests add sufficient value to justify the costs. Further work is needed to better characterize the causes and consequences of variation in vestibular test utilization.

Effects of cognition, function, and behavioral and psychological symptoms on out-of-pocket medical and nursing home expenditures and time spent caregiving for persons with dementia.

INTRODUCTION: Clinical features of dementia (cognition, function, and behavioral and psychological symptoms) may differentially affect out-of-pocket medical and nursing home (NH) expenditures and informal care received (outcomes). METHODS: We used cross-sectional data (Aging, Demographics, and Memory Study) to estimate probabilities of experiencing outcomes by clinical features. For those experiencing an outcome, we estimated effects of clinical features on the amount of the outcome. RESULTS: No clinical feature predicted the probability of having out-of-pocket medical expenditures. For those with medical expenditures, higher cognition and poorer function were associated with more spending. Poorer function predicted having out-of-pocket NH expenditures. For those with NH expenditures, no clinical feature predicted the amount. Poorer function and a greater number of behavioral and psychological symptoms predicted the probability of receiving caregiving. For those receiving care, poorer function was associated with more caregiving. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical features differentially impact outcomes with poorer function associated with all types of costs and caregiving received.

The Evolving Health Policy Landscape and Suggested Geriatric Tenets to Guide Future Responses.

We cannot view the future of healthcare but we can sense that big changes are afoot. Many revolve around the plans to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act. We speculate on some potential areas of change in the context of a set of tenets about what care for older persons should address.

Identifying Consistent and Coherent Dimensions of Nursing Home Quality: Exploratory Factor Analysis of Quality Indicators.

BACKGROUND: There is a general belief that the markers of nursing home quality do not aggregate easily. Identifying consistent and coherent dimensions of quality that usefully summarize the multiplicity of nursing home quality measures is an important goal. It would simplify interpretation and help consumers, their families and advocates to choose nursing facilities. OBJECTIVES: This study uses quality indicators (QIs) from a state nursing home report card to explore the dimensionality of quality in nursing homes and to determine whether aggregation at the resident versus facility level yields the same underlying dimensions. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: 382 Medicare- and/or Medicaid-certified nursing homes in Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: Residents admitted to the nursing homes during 2011-2012. MEASUREMENTS: 16 QIs obtained from the Minimum Data Set 3.0 assessment instrument between 2011 and 2012 were used in the exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: Factor analysis results suggest four main factors or dimensions to characterize facility performance: continence care (including 4 QIs), restraints and behavioral symptoms (including 3 QIs), care for specific conditions (including 6 QIs), and physical functioning (including 3 QIs). The resident-level and facility-level results generally agreed for 11 QIs. CONCLUSION: Nursing home quality of care can be captured in summary measures, which can be used by consumers, providers and researchers. Reporting at the resident or facility level will depend on the purpose. These summary measures can be used by policy-makers to identify and reward high-performing facilities and by families to choose nursing facilities for care.

Validation of an algorithm to determine the primary care treatability of emergency department visits.

OBJECTIVES: We propose a new claims-computable measure of the primary care treatability of emergency department (ED) visits and validate it using a nationally representative sample of Medicare data. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: This is a validation study using 2011-2012 Medicare claims data for a nationally representative 5% sample of fee-for-service beneficiaries to compare the new measure's performance to the Ballard variant of the Billings algorithm in predicting hospitalisation and death following an ED visit. OUTCOMES: Hospitalisation within 1 day or 1 week of an ED visit; death within 1 week or 1 month of an ED visit. RESULTS: The Minnesota algorithm is a strong predictor of hospitalisations and deaths, with performance similar to or better than the most commonly used existing algorithm to assess the severity of ED visits. The Billings/Ballard algorithm is a better predictor of death within 1 week of an ED visit; this finding is entirely driven by a small number of ED visits where patients appear to have been dead on arrival. CONCLUSIONS: The procedure-based approach of the Minnesota algorithm allows researchers to use the clinical judgement of the ED physician, who saw the patient to determine the likely severity of each visit. The Minnesota algorithm may thus provide a useful tool for investigating ED use in Medicare beneficiaries.

Drug-Related Harms in Hospitalized Medicare Beneficiaries: Results From the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, 2000-2008.

OBJECTIVES: We examined drug harms in Medicare beneficiaries using the 2000-2008 data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. RESEARCH DESIGN: This is a cross-sectional study to examine the national estimates of potentially preventable drug-related hospitalizations and in-hospital adverse drug events identified with the International Classification of Diseases codes excluding intentional harms. RESULTS: Hospitalizations related to drug poisoning constituted 0.8% of all Medicare hospitalizations. Annual hospital charges increased from $1.6 billion in 2000 to $4 billion in 2008. In-hospital adverse drug events were noted in 5.3% of all Medicare hospitalizations and increased by 90% from 2000 to 2008. Patients with extreme versus minor loss of function (odds ratio [OR], 2.96; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.93-2.99) and with extreme versus minor likelihood of dying (OR, 2.30; 95% CI, 2.29-2.33) had increased odds of in-hospital adverse drug events after adjustment for age, sex, and race. The Medicare beneficiaries with more than 5 versus fewer than 5 listed diagnoses had greater odds of in-hospital adverse drug events (OR, 3.79; 95% CI, 3.76-3.82). Each additional diagnosis at discharge was associated with a 13% increase in odds of in-hospital death in the Medicare beneficiaries hospitalized with drug-related diagnoses and with 12% increase in odds of in-hospital death in the Medicare beneficiaries with in-hospital adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Potentially preventable drug harms are a growing clinical and financial burden. Comparative outpatient drug safety should be analyzed using Medicare claim databases. In-hospital management of drug safety should target patients with multimorbidity and functional decline.

Racial Differences in Minnesota Nursing Home Residents' Quality of Life: The Importance of Looking Beyond Individual Predictors.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to investigate racial differences in nursing home (NH) residents' quality of life (QOL) at the resident and facility levels. METHOD: We used hierarchical linear modeling to identify significant resident- and facility-level predictors for racial differences in six resident-reported QOL domains. Data came from the following: (a) resident-reported QOL (n = 10,929), (b) the Minimum Data Set, and (c) facility-level characteristics from the Minnesota Department of Human Services (n = 376). RESULTS: White residents reported higher QOL in five of six domains, but in full models, individual-level racial differences remained only for food enjoyment. On the facility level, higher percentage of White residents was associated with better scores in three domains, even after adjusting for all characteristics. DISCUSSION: Racial differences in QOL exist on individual and aggregate levels. Individual differences are mainly explained by health status. The finding that facility racial composition predicts QOL more than individual race underscores the importance of examining NH structural characteristics and practices.

Restorative Care's Effect on Activities of Daily Living Dependency in Long-stay Nursing Home Residents.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: (a) Identify the prevalence of nursing homes providing Medicare supported restorative care programs and of long stay participants, (b) compare characteristics between restorative care participants and nonparticipants, and (c) assess restorative care's effect on change in activities of daily living (ADL) dependency. DESIGN AND METHODS: Longitudinal analysis of Minimum Data Set assessments linked to the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey using a sample of 7,735 residents, age ≥ 65 years living in 1,097 nursing homes for at least 6 months. Receipt of any restorative care was used as a time varying predictor to estimate change in ADL dependency over 18 months using linear mixed models. RESULTS: The sample was 75% female, 89% non-Hispanic White, with a mean age of 85±8, and average length of stay of 3.2±3.4 years. Most nursing homes had restorative care programs (67%), but less than one-third of long-stay residents participated. After controlling for resident and nursing home characteristics, the predicted mean ADL dependency score (range 0-28) at baseline was 18 for restorative care participants and 14 for nonparticipants. Over 18 months, ADL dependency increased 1 point for both participants and nonparticipants (p = .12). IMPLICATIONS: A minority of long-stay residents participated in Medicare supported restorative care programs despite their availability and potential benefits. Even though participants had greater vulnerability for deterioration in physical, mental, and functional health than nonparticipants, both groups had similar rates of ADL decline. Future research is needed to determine if providing restorative care to less dependent long-stay residents is effective.