Identifying potential long-stay residents in veterans health administration nursing homes

Veterans Affairs nursing homes (Community Living Centers; CLCs) have largely shifted focus to providing short-term rehabilitative care, preferring longer-term care to be provided in contract nursing homes or at home. The goal of this retrospective cohort study is to identify resident characteristics associated with longer length of stay using the CLC Minimum Data Set (n = 35,114). Length of stay was defined as three groups: short (<90 days), moderate (91-365 days), and long (beyond 365 days). Residents who remained beyond 90 days were more likely to be black and to have a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease, dementia, or schizophrenia, lived in another facility prior to admission, had a financial power of attorney, and had greater dependence in activities of daily living. Unique predictors of those who remained beyond 365 days were older age, cancer diagnosis, cognitive impairment, and admission from assisted living. Our findings can help CLC staff with admission decisions.