Dr. Natalie Leland, associate professor, Occupational Therapy, is co-principal investigator on a 4-year, $2.86 million R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The National Institute on Aging (NIA) grant is for the project "The Impact of Post-Acute Care Payment Changes on Access and Outcomes." The study will examine the impact of Medicare's new payment models for skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies on access to care and quality outcomes. Stakeholders have raised concerns that provider organizations may respond to these new models by changing care processes at the expense of quality and safety, resulting in decreased access to rehabilitation services and poorer outcomes for some vulnerable patient populations. Over 5 million older adults annually receive post-acute care services from skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies to facilitate the transition from the hospital back to the community.