Nursing home hospitalizations often driven by payer status

[LTCCareer.com]

The decision by nursing homes whether or not to treat an ill resident on-site or send them to a hospital are often linked to that person's insurance status. A new study out this month shows that on average individuals enrolled in Medicaid are 27 percent more likely to be sent to the hospital than individuals with private insurance – decisions that often result in higher costs of care and poor health outcomes.

"Nursing homes have an incentive to hospitalize some residents more often than others," said Helena Temkin-Greener, Ph.D., M.P.H., senior author of the study and associate professor of Community and Preventive Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center. "This study provides strong evidence that these financial incentives may motivate consideration of payer source in the decision whether or not to hospitalize an individual."

 

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