The Latest Research, Commentary, And News From Health Affairs
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Dear John,
While skilled nursing facilities provide necessary care, there remain questions about their costliness and efficiency.
Shortening Skilled Nursing Facility Stays
Care in skilled nursing facilities is a critical health care service for many, but it also accounts for significant spending in Medicare and is thought to be a major source of wasteful health care spending.
In fee-for-service Medicare, cost sharing applies to patients' care in skilled nursing facilities after the twentieth day of residence. This prompts a spike in discharges from facilities at that time. But does cutting short these skilled nursing facility stays at day 20 negatively impact patient health?
McGarry and coauthors found no clear evidence that those who are discharged from a skilled nursing facility to home-based care face increased risk of death, hospitalization for fall-related injuries, or all-cause hospitalizations.
These findings suggest
there are opportunities for more efficient post-acute care delivery than keeping patients in facilities for long periods of time.
Coauthor J. Michael McWilliams will appear on A Health Podyssey
podcast later this month to discuss this research.
For more content like this, visit the Age-Friendly Health content on our website.
Today on Health Affairs Blog, Katie Keith unpacks the Department of Health and Human Services' interpretation of Section 1557, the Affordable Care Act's primary nondiscrimination provision, as protection against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Elevating Voices: Asian American and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month: In the March 2020 theme issue, The Affordable Care Act (ACA) Turns 10, Aparna Soni and coauthors reviewed forty-three studies examining the effects of the ACA. They found growing evidence that the ACA has improved health outcomes through insurance expansions for nonelderly adults.
Breaking Down How Pharmacy Deserts And Access Relate To Health Equity
Listen to Health Affairs Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil interview Jenny Guadamuz from the University of Southern California School of Pharmacy on pharmacy access and closures.
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