What Are Nursing Facilities Doing to Reduce Potentially Avoidable Hospitalizations?

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Healthcare Management
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Hospitalizations among nursing facility residents are frequent and often preventable.
• Understanding the specific interventions used by nursing facilities is crucial for reducing these hospitalizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and understand the types of interventions nursing facilities have implemented to reduce potentially avoidable hospitalizations of long-stay residents.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 236 nursing facilities across 7 states.
• Nursing facility administrators were surveyed via a web-based platform regarding policies and procedures implemented between 2011 and 2015.
• The survey assessed the adoption of seven intervention types, including Interventions to Reduce Acute Care Transfers (INTERACT) and American Medical Directors Association tools.

Main Results:

• 95% of surveyed facilities reported introducing new policies or procedures to reduce resident hospitalizations since January 2011.
• The most common interventions were hospitalization rate tracking/review and standardized communication tools like Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation (SBAR).
• Variations in the extent and types of implemented interventions were observed among facilities.

Conclusions:

• Nearly all surveyed nursing facilities have adopted various initiatives aimed at reducing potentially avoidable hospitalizations.
• These initiatives are likely influenced by broader federal, state, and corporate efforts to decrease hospital admissions and readmissions.