The SCAN Foundation Launches DataBriefs, a New Series Examining Long-Term Care Issues and Related Policy Implications

Available for download on The SCAN Foundation Web site, DataBriefs call attention to issues surrounding long-term care services and those who use them, while highlighting opportunities for system-wide improvements through health reform.

LONG BEACH, Calif., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The SCAN Foundation commemorates the six month anniversary of the passage of the Affordable Care Act with the launch of its new DataBriefs series. This new series provides dynamic facts and analysis that examine health and supportive services and the people who use them, while exploring opportunities to improve care through implementation of health reform.

Powered by a data analytics team at Avalere Health, the first five DataBriefs of this series are currently available for download on The SCAN Foundation Web site. Topics include the health concerns and income concerns of seniors living alone, the characteristics of individuals who qualify for both Medicare and Medicaid, and the challenges of uncoordinated care for these "dual eligibles."

"DataBriefs can serve as an important resource for policymakers and stakeholders seeking key facts about older Americans, including information about the health and supportive services they may need and use," said Bruce Chernof, MD, president and CEO of The SCAN Foundation. "The availability of accurate and reliable information is critical to the successful implementation of the Affordable Care Act. We hope to help shed additional light on the needs and challenges that older Americans and their families face in our health and long-term care system."

Each DataBriefs publication presents information in two forms: four PowerPoint slides for public use and a one-page fact sheet. Links to the first five DataBriefs are listed below:

1. Characteristics of Dual Eligibles
2. Dual Eligibles and Chronic Conditions
3. Dual Eligibles and Medicare Spending
4. Low Income Seniors
5. Seniors with Activities of Daily Living Needs

"The issues surrounding long-term care are complicated and difficult to understand," said Anne Tumlinson, senior vice-president at Avalere Health. "A regular series of short, easily digestible issue briefs helps those committed to building a system of care that empowers people to age with dignity and independence make the best possible policy decisions."

Future DataBriefs will be posted to The SCAN Foundation Web site on a regular basis.

About The SCAN Foundation

The SCAN Foundation is an independent nonprofit foundation dedicated to advancing the development of a sustainable continuum of quality care for seniors that integrates medical treatment and human services in the settings most appropriate to their needs and with the greatest likelihood of a healthy, independent life. The SCAN Foundation supports programs that stimulate public engagement, develop realistic public policy and financing options, and disseminate promising care models and technologies. For more information about The SCAN Foundation, visit www.TheSCANFoundation.org.

About AVALERE HEALTH

Avalere Health is an advisory services company whose core purpose is to create innovative solutions to complex healthcare problems. Based in Washington DC, the firm delivers research, analysis, insight, and strategy for leaders in healthcare business and policy. Avalere's experts span 140 staff drawn from the federal government (e.g., CMS, OMB, CBO, and the Congress), Fortune 500 healthcare companies, top consultancies, and nonprofits. The firm offers deep substance in areas ranging from healthcare coverage and financing to the changing role of evidence in healthcare decision-making. Its focus on strategy is supported by a rigorous, in-house analytic research group that uses public and private data to generate quantitative insight. Through events, publications, and interactive programs, Avalere also translates real-time healthcare developments into actionable information. Learn more at www.avalerehealth.net.

SOURCE The SCAN Foundation