The federal government plans to pursue a yearlong, $150,000 effort to release three studies aimed at increasing consumer information about assisted living.

The three studies will cover how states regulate assisted-living facilities and publicize their investigations, provide a review of programs that measure consumer satisfaction with the industry, and publish the results of several industry-related focus groups, according to the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the group funding the studies.

The studies will fill a gap in consumer knowledge on assisted living, the fastest-growing sector of the long-term care industry, says William Spector, a senior social scientist with the agency