Appalachian Nursing Homes: A Descriptive Analysis of Quality, Staffing, and Cost

To examine if the quality of care in Appalachian nursing homes in metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural areas differs from those in non-Appalachian regions of the United States.

Retrospective analysis of Medicare Cost Reports, combined with data from Nursing Home Compare, LTCFocus, and Medicare, Post-Acute Care, and Hospice Public Use Form. Nursing homes were classified using Rural-Urban Commuting Area Codes.

Data from 14,040 nursing homes reporting on staffing, costs, and quality of care metrics from 2013 to 2019 were analyzed.

Descriptive analyses compared resident and facility characteristics, quality, staffing, and cost outcomes between non-Appalachian and Appalachian nursing homes in metropolitan, micropolitan, and rural areas. Regressions compared quality, staffing, and cost outcomes among (1) Appalachian metropolitan and non-Appalachian nursing homes, (2) Appalachian micropolitan and non-Appalachian nursing homes, and (3) Appalachian rural and non-Appalachian nursing homes. Outcomes included health deficiency index scores, Medicare spending per beneficiary, staffing hours per resident day (registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, certified nursing assistant per resident day), and 5 Minimum Data Set metrics for short-stay and long-stay residents.

Appalachian nursing homes are more likely to be hospital-based, for-profit, multifacility chain affiliated, and have higher proportions of white and Medicaid residents. Regression analyses revealed that Appalachian metropolitan nursing homes have 3.3% fewer certified nursing assistant hours per resident day, a 16.5% higher health deficiency score index, and 4.2% higher Medicare spending per beneficiary compared with non-Appalachian homes. Appalachian micropolitan nursing homes showed 7.4% fewer registered nurse hours per resident day and 6.9% higher Medicare spending per beneficiary. Appalachian rural nursing homes had 16.7% more registered nurse hours per resident day, 22.7% lower health deficiency index scores, and 10.7% higher Medicare spending per beneficiary. Minimum Data Set measures varied, with Appalachian nursing homes performing better on some metrics and worse on others.

Appalachia lags behind in staffing and Medicare spending per beneficiary. These disparities should be considered by policymakers advocating for Appalachia's senior citizens.