Care Context SEPTEMBER 2011
Nursing Facilities Cost-Effectively Treat
an Increasingly Complex Patient Population, Benefiting Seniors and Taxpayers
AS dEFICIT REdUCTION WILL REMAIN a paramount objective for Congress this fall, policymakers should consider nursing facilities’ (NFs) ability to treat patients with certain hospital diagnoses at a lower cost to Medicare than other facility-based post-acute care (PAC) providers. As a lower-cost institutional setting, with the ability to provide highquality care to a broad range of patients, NFs are poised to be a critical part of Congressional and CMS efforts to reduce overall Medicare expenditures and reform healthcare delivery.
Nursing facilities have adapted well to the needs and demands of the healthcare system, treating an increasingly complex post-acute care population while expanding the range of services that NFs are able to provide.