How medical foster home coordinators affect care costs for Veterans
Official title: Evaluating the Impact of Medical Foster Home Coordinator Effort and Experience on Costs
Funded at James J Peters VA Medical Center · NIH-11141049 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project looks at whether the experience and effort of coordinators who run Medical Foster Homes can lower long-term care costs for Veterans compared with nursing home care.
Quick facts
| Grant type | NIH-funded research |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | James J Peters VA Medical Center NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Bronx, United States) |
| Project start | July 1, 2024 |
| Project end | March 31, 2029 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| NIH project number | 5I01HX003809-02 |
| Project ID | NIH-11141049 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are Veterans who receive VA home-based primary care or who are eligible for long-term care and live in areas that offer Medical Foster Home programs.
✕Less likely to help
This project likely would not directly help Veterans who are not enrolled in VA care or who need high-acuity institutional services beyond what a Medical Foster Home can provide.
What this research studies
You would be hearing about a comparison between Medical Foster Homes (private homes with trained caregivers) and Community Nursing Homes for Veterans who need long-term care. The team will look at VA records on costs, use of services, and safety culture, and compare outcomes where coordinators have different levels of experience and time devoted to the program. They will analyze how coordinator effort and experience relate to costs and whether a strong VA patient-safety culture helps produce savings. The work uses existing VA program data and patient service records to guide possible policy changes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help the VA expand lower-cost, home-based long-term care options for eligible Veterans and guide where to invest coordinator support.
How similar studies have gone: Earlier reports suggested Medical Foster Homes can cost less than nursing homes, but current estimates are limited and the impact of coordinator experience has not been tested.
Where this research is happening
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James J Peters VA Medical Center
Bronx, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Intrator, Orna — James J Peters VA Medical Center
- Study coordinator: Intrator, Orna
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.