Adding nursing facility beds: impact on hospital nonacute care

Area of Science:

• Healthcare management
• Geriatric care
• Health services research

Background:

• Hospitals often face challenges with nonacute patients occupying beds.
• A shortage of nursing facility beds can exacerbate hospital overcrowding.
• Effective patient flow is crucial for healthcare system efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of new nursing facility beds on hospital nonacute patient populations.
• To evaluate changes in patient length of stay and payer status.
• To understand the volume of admissions needed to achieve desired outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of hospital admission and discharge data over a 12-month period.
• Tracking of nonacute patient census before and after the introduction of new nursing facility beds.
• Examination of patient demographics, length of stay, and principal payer status.

Main Results:

• A 53% reduction in the hospital nonacute patient census was observed.
• Significant decreases in patients with postacute stays exceeding one month.
• Notable reduction in nonacute patients with Medicaid as the primary payer.
• No significant impact on the number of patients awaiting Medicaid eligibility.
• Substantial new admissions were necessary to achieve these reductions.

Conclusions:

• The creation of new nursing facility beds can effectively alleviate hospital overcrowding by reducing the nonacute patient census.
• This strategy can lead to shorter postacute care durations and a decrease in Medicaid-dependent long-term hospital stays.
• Sustained admissions to new facilities are required to maintain these positive impacts on hospital capacity and patient flow.