In a JAMA Network Open study Jeromie Ballreich, and co-authors Cary Gross, Neil Powe, and Gerard Anderson found that NIH spending for 46 diseases seemed to be based primarily on the level of NIH spending more than 10 years earlier, despite changes in burden of disease. By dollar volume, Alzheimer and dementia increased the most, with approximately $1.8 billion more funding in 2019 than, whereas interpersonal violence had the greatest decrease, $95 million, in 2019 NIH. The investigators recommend that Congress and the NIH should examine the allocation process to ensure NIH investments are responsive to changes in the health of the population. 

A study led by Julia Burgdorf, and co-authors Elizabeth Stuart, Alicia Arbaje, and Jennifer Wolff in Medical Care found that family caregivers' activity-specific training needs may affect home health visit utilization. The researchers analyzed data from participants receiving Medicare-funded home health between 2011 and 2016 using linked National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), Outcomes and Assessment Information Set (OASIS), and Medicare claims data. Key findings included that receipt of nursing visits was more likely when family caregivers had an identified need for training related to medication management or household chores and receipt of therapy visits was more likely when caregivers had an identified need for training related to self-care tasks. Read more. 

A study led by Chanee Fabius, and co-authors Portia Cornell, Wenhan Zhang, & Kali Thomas in Medical Care Research and Review found wide variability among states in the share of assisted living residents who were dual-eligible Medicare beneficiaries, ranging from 6% in New Hampshire to over 40% in New York. In states with a Medicaid state plan option covering services in assisted living or both a state plan and waiver, the percent of assisted living residents with dual-eligibility was more than 10 percentage points higher than in states with neither a state plan nor waiver. The researchers analyzed 2014 Medicare data for 506,193 adults who live in large (25+ beds) assisted living communities. Findings from the study provide a basis for understanding the role of Medicaid financing in access to assisted living for dual-eligible Medicare beneficiaries. Read more.

A study led by Amber Willink and Quincy Samus, and co-authors Karen Davis, Deirdre Johnston, Betty Black, Melissa Reuland, Ian Stockwell, Halima Amjad, and Constantine Lyketsos published in Innovation in Aging suggests that hospitalization risk reduction strategies may benefit from understanding and addressing caregiving circumstances. Managed-care plans with the flexibility to engage community health workers could benefit from a low-cost, high-touch intervention to meet the needs of enrollees with dementia. Read more.