How shortening skilled nursing facility stays might identify waste in health care delivery

<p>Skilled nursing care is an important Medicare benefit but it also accounts for significant spending.</p><p>In Medicare, cost sharing applies to patients' care in skilled nursing facilities after the twentieth day of residence. This prompts a spike in discharges from facilities at that time. But does cutting short these skilled nursing facility stays at day 20 negatively impact patient health?</p><p>J. Michael McWilliams, a researcher from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, and coauthors aimed to answer this question in a paper they published in the May 2021 issue of <em>Health Affairs</em>. They studied the <a href="https://www.healthaffairs.org/doi/full/10.1377/hlthaff.2020.00649">extent to which skilled nursing facility discharges accelerated by Medicare cost sharing are safe</a>.</p><p>McWilliams and coauthors found no clear evidence that those who are discharged face increased risk of death, hospitalization for fall-related injuries, or all-cause hospitalizations.</p><p>On this episode of <em>A Health Podyssey</em>, J. Michael McWilliams joins <em>Health Affairs </em>Editor-in-Chief Alan Weil to discuss this research and his perspective on the future of health care financing.</p><p><a href="https://www.pubservice.com/backissue/subbi.aspx?CO=PJ&amp;PC=HR&amp;BI=HRI">Pre-order the July 2021 Health Affairs issue</a>.</p><p>Subscribe: <a href="https://feeds.transistor.fm/a-health-podyssey">RSS</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/a-health-podyssey/id1533852530">Apple Podcasts</a> | <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/3tAEbXdlzlcgjLTHfJMYqR">Spotify</a> | <a href="https://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=576615&amp;refid=stpr">Stitcher</a> | <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy50cmFuc2lzdG9yLmZtL2EtaGVhbHRoLXBvZHlzc2V5">Google Podcasts</a></p>