Hospitals with a strong relationship to a skilled nursing facility are less likely to see high rates of readmissions from patients discharged to the nursing facility, according to an article published in the journal Health Services Research.
Researchers examined Medicare enrollment claims and the Minimum Data Set for Medicare or Medicaid certified nursing homes to examine nearly 3 million discharges to more than 15,000 nursing homes from approximately 2,500 hospitals.
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Researchers found with every 10 percent increase in the fraction of patients discharged to a skilled nursing facility with which a hospital had a relationship, 30-day readmissions rates for that patient group declined 1.2 percent. Most of this gain was in the first week after discharge.
The study concluded hospital linkage with a skilled nursing facility may improve patient outcomes and reduce hospital readmissions.