An analysis of case-intensity-adjusted nursing staff patterns in New York State skilled nursing facilities

In 1979 skilled nursing facility staffing patterns in New York State were examined to test for significant differences in hours per patient day of nursing staff with respect to sponsorship, size, unionization, and region. Facilities that were cited for one or more nursing standard deficiencies were eliminated from consideration to control for quality of care differences. Also, adjustments in reported staffing hours were made to control for case mix differences among the facilities. A hierarchic analysis of covariance model was used to perform the analysis. The results indicated that, ceteris paribus, staffing on a per patient day basis was significantly higher for voluntary and public homes, homes in upstate locations, nonunionized homes, and homes with 99 beds or less.