We used a deliberative process to identify specific research needs and research design
considerations. First, we refined and developed a list of evidence gaps from the comparative
effectiveness review (CER). Second, we recruited a diverse panel of stakeholders who
represented a variety of perspectives relevant to the topic. We sought research representatives
who were national experts familiar with evidence-based research and aware of the obstacles
faced in conducting well-designed research in health services. We invited representatives from
organizations supporting or conducting relevant research and/or programs including the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and
Evaluation, the Visiting Nurse Service of New York, LeadingAge, and others, as well as policy
and payer representation from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). We
engaged consumer and provider groups, including AARP and the National Center for Assisted
Living, because the decisional dilemmas faced by these groups are critical to identifying and
prioritizing research questions. Many stakeholders were also involved in the CER process as Key
Informants, technical expert panel members, or peer reviewers. A total of 13 stakeholders across
these groups responded to our invitation and expressed an interest in participating in this project.
We then held conference calls with stakeholders to refine the research gaps identified in the
CER. We revised the preliminary research gaps based on our stakeholder discussions and
phrased the identified gaps as research questions.
Many stakeholders raised the important question of whether research should continue to
compare the relative effectiveness of HCBS and NH care given the changes in social thinking
that have occurred and the preference in most cases for HCBS. Based on the stakeholder
feedback, we grouped research questions into two major sets that we further divided into
methodological questions and topical questions. The first set addressed the narrow issue that was
the topic of the CER—the comparison of LTC delivered through HCBS and in NHs. The second
set addressed broader LTC issues that stakeholders (and reviewers from the CER) raised as
salient for the current policy environment. The second set did not frame research questions as a
comparison of HCBS and NHs, but rather, treated these settings and services separately.
We sent the two sets of research questions to stakeholders and asked them to rank the
questions by priority. For the first set of research questions addressing the comparison of HCBS
with NHs, stakeholders numerically ranked their top three of seven methodological research
questions, and their top one of three topical research questions. For the second set of broader
research questions on LTC for older adults, stakeholders numerically ranked their top 4 of 11
ES-3
methodological research questions, and their top 5 of 12 topical research questions. We
calculated unweighted and weighted scores based on their rankings. We identified breakpoints in
the weighted rankings that separated high- and moderate-/low-priority research questions. Highly
prioritized research questions were considered research needs. We discussed research design
considerations for research needs.