title: Long-term care reform in Alberta, Canada: the role of the resident classification system.
abstract: In 1988 the Alberta government, Canada, introduced a patient (now called resident) classification system (RCS) to measure the care requirements of residents in long-term care facilities and provide case-mix information so that funding could be based on resident need rather than a system of global funding. The RCS is described and issues relating to the measurement of patient/resident need are discussed, together with some suggestions as to how the tool might be used in quality assurance and outcome measurement.
authors.affiliation: University of Lethbridge, School of Nursing, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Armstrong-Esther
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000416:Alberta; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups / Q000145:classification*; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D018166:Health Care Reform; D006295:Health Resources / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007297:Inpatients / Q000145:classification*; D016014:Linear Models; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000145:classification* / Q000191:economics* / Q000379:methods; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D012046:Rehabilitation / Q000145:classification; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms; D016526:Workload