DALTCP provides leadership on HHS policies that support the independence, health and productivity of elderly individuals and people with disabilities. DALTCP staff work on long-term care, post-acute care, personal assistance services, family care giving, integrated care (including for dual eligibles), rehabilitative services, employment of people with disabilities, mental health parity, and the direct care workforce.
Division of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities Policy
The Division of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disabilities Policy focuses on financing, delivery, and quality of services and supports for individuals with mental illnesses, substance use disorders, or intellectual disabilities. Areas of focus include coverage and payment issues in private insurance, Medicaid and Medicaid, quality and consumer protection issues, and programs and policies of HHS agencies as they affect adults, children and youth with mental health conditions, substance abuse, or intellectual disabilities.
Division of Long-Term Care Policy
The Division of Long-Term Care Policy focuses on the long-term care and personal assistance needs of people of all ages with chronic disabilities. Areas of focus include assessing the interaction between health care, chronic care, long-term care, and supportive services needs of persons with disabilities across the age spectrum; determining service use and program participation patterns; and coordinating the development of long-term care data and policies that affect the characteristics, circumstances, and needs of people with long-term care needs, including older adults and people with disabilities.
Division of Disability and Aging Policy
The Division of Disability and Aging Policy is responsible for policy development, coordination, research and evaluation of policies and programs focusing on persons with disabilities and older Americans. This includes measuring and evaluating the impact of all programs authorized by the Older Americans Act. Aging activities related to older Americans are carried out in coordination with other HHS agencies and organizations. The Division is also responsible for supporting the development and analysis of crosscutting disability and aging data and policies within the Department and in other federal agencies.
TOPIC AREAS:
- Acute/Long-Term Care Integration
- Aging Services
- Behavioral Health
- Care Coordination -- Medicaid Health Homes and Primary and Behavioral Health Integration
- Disability
- Dual Eligibles
- Elder Rights/Adult Protective Services
- Falls Prevention
- Housing with Services
- Informal Caregiving
- Long-Term Care Financing
- Long-Term Care Insurance
- Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)
- Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA)
- Residential Care
- Serious Mental Illness -- Early Intervention and Evidence-Based Practices
- Skilled Nursing Facilities/Nursing Facilities (SNF/NF) and Nursing Home Quality
OTHER HELPFUL INFORMATION:
Using Telehealth to Identify and Manage Health and Substance Use Disorder Conditions in Rural Areas
RTI International September 15, 2017 Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (70 PDF pages)
Using Telehealth to Identify and Manage Health and Substance Use Disorder Conditions in Rural Areas
Access to services, particularly behavioral health and substance use disorder (SUD) treatment services, is challenging in rural and other underserved areas. Some of the reasons for these challenges include lack of specialty providers and local primary care providers without experience in behavioral health treatment as well as concerns over stigma and lack of privacy for individuals from smaller communities.
Tracking the Impact of Ownership Changes in Hospice Care Provided to Medicare Beneficiaries: Final Report
David Stevenson, Emily Krone, and Robert Gambrel Department of Health Policy, Vanderbilt School of Medicine Laurie Meneades and Haiden Huskamp Department of Health Care Policy, Harvard Medical School January 19, 2017 Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (39 PDF pages)
Trends in Nursing Home-Hospice Contracting and Common Ownership between Hospice Agencies and Nursing Homes: Final Report
David Stevenson, Nicholas Sinclair, and Shiyuan Zhang Vanderbilt School of Medicine Laurie Meneades and Haiden Huskamp Harvard Medical School November 16, 2018 Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (43 PDF pages)
Tracking the Impact of Ownership Changes in Hospice Care Provided to Medicare Beneficiaries: Final Report
This study examines hospice ownership in detail by going beyond the general distinction of for-profit or not-for-profit and considers the extent to which regional or national chains have entered the hospice provider market and how the populations they care for and the services they provide might be distinct from other types of hospice agencies.
Trends in Nursing Home-Hospice Contracting and Common Ownership between Hospice Agencies and Nursing Homes: Final Report
Between 2005 and 2015, the number of hospice agencies with common ownership to nursing homes nearly quintupled in number and now represents almost 1-in-5 hospice agencies participating in the Medicare program. Using data from 2005-2015, the report describes: (1) trends in nursing home-hospice contracting relationships and in common ownership between hospice agencies and nursing homes; (2) geographic dimensions of nursing home-hospice contracting; and (3) hospice use trends in nursing homes with and without common ownership.
National Plan Action Side-by-Side
This file shows the progression of work done on each Action included in the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease. Due to formatting changes and changing Actions titles, descriptions that have been updated, and new Actions that have been added, information below has been grouped by Action Description within the Plan's Implementation Milestones chart. Links are provided to the each Plan Goal and Strategy if you are interested in further information. NOTE: The Goal and Strategy titles listed below are those used in the last Plan published.
Using Telehealth to Support Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Issue Brief
Laura Dunlap, Saira Haque, and Erin Mallonee RTI International Joel Dubenitz, Laurel Fuller, and Daniel Schwartz U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (5 PDF pages)
Using Telehealth to Support Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Issue Brief
This Issue Brief was informed by an ASPE-funded study conducted by RTI International that assessed the use of telehealth to identify and manage SUDs in rural areas. The final research brief included an environmental scan and site visits with participants that represented a wide range of telehealth experiences throughout the country.
National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease: 2018 Update
Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (115 PDF pages)
National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease: 2018 Update
This is the PDF version of the 2018 Update of the National Plan to Address Alzheimer's Disease. More information about the National Alzheimer's Project Act is available at https://aspe.hhs.gov/national-alzheimers-project-act.
Public Comment Index for the National Alzheimer's Project Act
Public Comment Index on the National Plan for Alzheimer's Disease and the National Alzheimer's Project Act
An Overview of Long-Term Services and Supports and Medicaid: Final Report
Nga T. Thach, BS, and Joshua M. Wiener, PhD RTI International May 2018 Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (34 PDF pages)
An Overview of Long-Term Services and Supports and Medicaid: Final Report
This report examines the role of long-term services and supports (LTSS) in Medicaid. It also examines how sociodemographic changes are likely to affect the demand for LTSS in the future, and as a result, Medicaid use and expenditures. The report shows: the demand for LTSS is likely to increase dramatically; LTSS is a major part of the Medicaid program, accounting for about a third of total expenditures, and Medicaid is the dominant payer of LTSS. [34 PDF pages]
State and Local Policy Levers for Increasing Treatment and Recovery Capacity to Address the Opioid Epidemic: Final Report
Jesse Hinde, PhD, Jennifer Hayes, BA, Tami Mark, PhD, Shampa Bernstein, JD, BA, and Sarita L. Karon, PhD RTI International September 29, 2017 Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (76 PDF pages)
State and Local Policy Levers for Increasing Treatment and Recovery Capacity to Address the Opioid Epidemic: Final Report
This report summarizes financing and workforce policies that can be used by states to expand treatment access and capacity for opioid use disorder (OUD), focusing especially on medication-assisted treatment (MAT). Our evaluation team used a case-study approach and conducted an environmental scan and stakeholder interviews for five states: California, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, and Virginia.
Examining Substance Use Disorder Treatment Demand and Provider Capacity in a Changing Health Care System: Final Report
Ellen Bouchery Mathematica Policy Research December 5, 2017 Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (101 PDF pages) ABSTRACT
Substance Use Disorder Workforce Issue Brief
Ellen Bouchery, Mathematica Policy Research Judith Dey, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Printer Friendly Version in PDF Format (5 PDF pages)
Substance Use Disorder Workforce Issue Brief
Many barriers to accessing evidence-based treatment for substance use disorder (SUD), particularly medication assisted treatment, are related to the workforce. Barriers include workforce shortages for certain providers, insufficient training, education and experience, lack of institutional and clinician peer support, provider stigma and inadequate or burdensome reimbursement. Recognizing the importance of the SUD workforce in providing treatment, several questions were added to the National Survey of Substance Abuse Treatment Services in 2016.
National Research Summit on Care, Services and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers: Final Summit Report
This is the PDF version of the final Summit report, which includes the recommendations, prepared for the National Research Summit on Care, Services, and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers (also called the Research Summit on Dementia Care). Originally dated April 27, 2018; small changes were made on May 16, 2018.
Research Summit on Dementia Care: Main Summit Recommendations
This is the PDF version of the 12 Recommendation Themes from National Research Summit on Care, Services, and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers: Report to the National Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Service. The Steering Committee and organizers of this Summit solicited input from nationally and internationally recognized experts and researchers, and other public and private sector stakeholders, to develop prioritized recommendations.
National Research Summit on Care, Services and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers: Final Summit Report
National Research Summit on Care, Services, and Supports for Persons with Dementia and Their Caregivers Report to the National Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services April 27, 2018Updated May 16, 2018
Research Summit on Dementia Care: Main Summit Recommendations
Main Summit Recommendations April 27, 2018Updated May 16, 2018 Summit Co-Chairs:Laura N. Gitlin, PhD Katie Maslow, MSW Federal Lead:Rohini Khillan, MPH
Development and Testing of Behavioral Health Quality Measures for Health Plans: Final Report
Many people with behavioral health disorders receive suboptimal care and suffer poor health outcomes, including premature death. States, health plans, providers, and other stakeholders need a strong set of measures targeting this population to improve the quality of their care. In this project, we developed and tested measures reported by health plans that focus on screening and monitoring of care for comorbid conditions among people with serious mental illnesses (SMI) and/or alcohol or other drug dependence (AOD).