Research
Cost-Effective Treatment of a Complex Patient Population
September 2011
Nursing facilities have the ability to treat patients with certain hospital diagnoses at a lower cost to Medicare than other facility-based, post-acute care (PAC) providers. Nursing facilities have also adapted well to the needs of an evolving patient population, treating more increasingly complex post-acute care patents while expanding services. Considering the variety of cost-effective services nursing facilities provide, they should have a critical role in efforts to reduce overall Medicare expenditures and reform our nation’s healthcare delivery system.
September 27, 2011
National experts explore the evolving role of nursing facilities, changes in the patient population and care outcomes, and the impact of change in reimbursement on nursing facility quality. A better understanding of skilled nursing facilities and their role in the post-acute care continuum will enable policymakers and beneficiaries to optimize SNF’s contribution to new models of care, while ensuring the current system promotes high quality care and outcomes.
February 2011
Nursing facilities in rural suburban and urban communities alike provide an essential service for an extremely vulnerable population, and employ a substantial segment of the nation’s health care workforce. It is essential for nursing facilities to thrive economically so they are able to provide high-quality care to residents, and good jobs to local workers.
September 2010
Therapy services in nursing facilities serve a critical role in helping individuals achieve and maintain maximum physical and functional well-being. Nursing facilities have evolved over the past twenty years to serve an increasingly acute, clinically complex and rehabilitation-intensive population.
May 2010
More than 59 percent of Americans currently receiving care in nursing facilities are covered by Medicaid. These half a million people rely on Medicaid to pay for their care, as the only government program that supports long-term care for the low-income elderly and disabled.
January 2010
There is broad interest in improving the quality and efficiency of the health care system in the United States. Policymakers are increasingly focused on the rate of rehospitalizations as an area for potential improvement. An estimated one-fifth of Medicare beneficiaries discharged from the hospital are readmitted within 30 days.
September 2009
Nursing facilities serve a crucial role in the post-acute and long-term care continuum, serving as the primary provider of Medicare post-acute care while simultaneously caring for a functionally impaired and clinically complex longer-stay population.