The Institutes of Medicine (IOM) have released the long-awaited report on long-term care in the United States. This is the first report on long-term care the IOM has released since its 1986 study that prompted the creation of the current federal nursing facility certification system. 

The new report, "Improving the Quality of Long Term Care," concludes that the quality of nursing home care has improved in the past decade in spite of the fact that facilities are serving a more seriously ill population. The quality of life of nursing home residents has shown improvement, but the report cites serious quality-of-care problems that still persist.

The report makes recommendations for improving long-term care in five categories:

1. Access to appropriate services,
2. Quality assurance through external oversight,
3. Strengthening the work force,
4. Building organizational capacity, and
5. Reimbursement issues.