Care Transitions Between Hospitals and Skilled Nursing Facilities: Perspectives of Sending and Receiving Providers

One in four Medicare patients hospitalized for acute medical illness is discharged to a skilled nursing facility (SNF); 23% of these patients are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. The care transition from hospital to SNF is often marked by disruptions in care and poor communication among hospital and SNF providers. A study was conducted to identify the perspectives of sending and receiving providers regarding care transitions between the hospital and the SNF.

Hospital (N = 25) and SNF (N = 16) providers participated in qualitative interviews assessing patient transfers and experiences with unplanned hospital readmissions. Data were analyzed by a multidisciplinary coding team using the constant comparison method.

Four main themes emerged: increasing patient complexity, identifying an optimal care setting, rising financial pressure, and barriers to effective communication. The data highlighted hospital and SNF providers' shared concerns about patient-level risk factors and escalating costs of care. The data also identified issues that separate hospital and SNF providers, including different access to resources and information.

Hospital and SNF providers are challenged to meet the needs of complex patients. They are asked to establish comprehensive care plans for patients with significant medical and psychosocial issues while navigating tense relationships between health care institutions and rising financial pressures. The concerns of both hospital and SNF providers must be considered in order to develop practices that can improve the quality, cost, and safety of care transitions.