post-acute care

Socio-Economic Factors’ Role in Skilled Nursing Facility Finances

Skilled nursing facilities located in communities with higher-than-typical numbers of low-income and minority patients are under greater financial stress than comparable facilities located in other communities. Nursing homes that serve higher proportions of Medicaid patients the same challenge. And both of these conditions detract from the quality of care such facilities provide. These are the findings of a new study published in the journal Health Services Research. According to the study, Medicaid-dependent nursing homes have a 3.5 percentage point lower operating ratio. Those serving primarily racial minorities have a 2.64-point lower quality rating. A 1 percent increase in the neighborhood [...]

Little Rhyme or Reason to Post-Stroke Care Choices

Despite medical recommendations that stroke patients choose inpatient rehabilitation facilities for their post-acute care, significant numbers of patients continue to seek such care in skilled nursing facilities. And experts do not understand why. The choices, according to a new study, are based primarily on recommendations by hospitals and are being made despite a recommendation by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association that patients turn to inpatient rehab facilities rather than skilled nursing facilities for post-stroke care. Researchers found no apparent reason for the choices patients make between the two types of facilities. Learn more about where stroke patients [...]