A Novel Comprehensive Care Payment Program For Nursing Homes And Hospitals
Health Affairs November 16, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inefficient patchwork that is US health care payment policy. The impact of these policies on skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and nursing facilities, collectively referred to in this post as “nursing homes,” is particularly salient given the devastating impact of the pandemic on post acute and long-term care.
While COVID-19 has shone a spotlight on the inadequacies of care in our nursing home system, these inadequacies are not new. As health care providers and in some cases as care partners or family members, we have witnessed these shortcomings first-hand. They are reflected in numerous potentially avoidable transfers to the emergency department (ED), delayed recognition of decompensating residents, and insufficient discussion of care goals. Bi-directional communication...