National Home and Hospice Care Survey Series

collection: series

Investigator(s): United States Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics

Studies

7

Variables

2,745

Publications

73

About this Collection

The National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS) series is an annual nationwide sample survey of home health and hospice care agencies, and their current and discharged patients. These surveys were specifically designed as an ongoing series to satisfy the diverse data needs of those who establish standards for, plan, provide, and assess long-term care services. Information is collected on agency characteristics, such as the number of patients served in the past 12 months, type of facility ownership, Medicare and Medicaid certification, number and type of staff personnel, and staff working hours. Information collected on current patients and discharged patients includes the service provided, provider type, residence, referral source, medical diagnosis, type of care, type of aids used, daily living activities, billing charges, and expected payment sources. Discharge diagnoses are also included for discharged patients. Demographic variables on sex, age, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status are included for both types of patients.

Studies

7 results

National Home and Hospice Care Survey, 2007

The National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS) was reintroduced into the field in 2007 after a 7-year break. During that time, the survey was redesigned and expanded to include a computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) system, many new data items, and larger sample sizes of current home health patients and hospice discharges. All agencies that participated in the survey were either certified by Medicare and/or Medicaid or were licensed by a state to provide home health and/or hospice services and currently or recently served home health and/or hospice patients. Agencies that provided only homemaker services or housekeeping services, assistance with instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), or durable medical equipment and supplies were excluded from the survey. The 2007 NHHCS included a supplemental survey of home health aides employed by home health and/or hospice agencies, called the National Home Health Aide Survey (NHHAS). The 2007 NHHCS data were collected through in-person interviews with agency directors and their designated staffs; no interviews were conducted directly with patients or their families and/or friends. Agency data collected, available in agency administrative records, included information on the year an agency was established, the types of services an agency provided, referral sources, specialty programs, and staffing characteristics. Data collected on home health patients and hospice discharges, available in medical records, included age, sex, race and ethnicity, services received, length of time since admission, diagnoses, medications taken, advance directives, and many other items.

The National Home Health Aide Survey (NHHAS), the first national probability survey of home health aides, was designed to provide national estimates of home health aides employed by agencies that provide home health and/or hospice care. The NHHAS survey instrument included sections on recruitment, training, job history, family life, management and supervision, client relations, organizational commitment and job satisfaction, workplace environment, work-related injuries, and demographics.

National Home and Hospice Care Survey, 2000

The National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS) for 2000 examines home health agencies and hospices and their current patients and discharges. These surveys were designed to provide information for those who establish standards for, plan, provide, and assess long-term care services, both in the home and in inpatient settings. Data on agency characteristics were obtained through personal interviews with the agency administrators and include the number of home health and hospice patients served in the last 12 months, type of facility ownership (i.e., profit, nonprofit, government, other), Medicare and Medicaid certification, number and type of staff, and the hours they worked. Data on a sample of patients currently receiving home health and hospice care as well as a sample of discharges were obtained by interviewing staff persons most familiar with the care provided to these patients. Respondents were requested to refer to medical or other records whenever necessary. No patient was interviewed directly. Information for patients currently receiving services and discharged patients includes services provided and provider type, type of residence, referral source, medical diagnosis, type of care (home health or hospice), type of aids used (eyeglasses, dentures, walker, cane, oxygen, hospital bed, etc.), daily living activities that required assistance, and billing charges and expected payment source(s). The discharge diagnosis for discharged patients was also recorded. Demographic variables for both types of patients include sex, age, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status.

National Home and Hospice Care Survey, 1996

The National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS) for 1996 is the fourth survey of home health agencies and hospices and their current patients and discharges. These surveys were designed to provide information for those who establish standards for, plan, provide, and assess long-term care services, both in the home and in inpatient settings. Data on agency characteristics were obtained through personal interviews with the agency administrators and include the number of home health and hospice patients served in the last 12 months, type of facility ownership (i.e., profit, nonprofit, government, other), Medicare and Medicaid certification, number and type of staff personnel, and the hours they worked. Data on a sample of patients currently receiving home health and hospice care as well as a sample of discharges were obtained by interviewing staff persons most familiar with the care provided to these patients. Respondents were requested to refer to medical or other records whenever necessary. No patient was interviewed directly. Information for patients currently receiving services and discharged patients includes services provided and provider type, type of residence, referral source, medical diagnosis, type of care (home health or hospice), type of aids used (eyeglasses, dentures, walker, cane, oxygen, hospital bed, etc.), daily living activities that required assistance, and billing charges and expected payment source(s). The discharge diagnosis for discharged patients was also recorded. Demographic variables for both types of patients include sex, age, race, Hispanic origin, and marital status.
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