Physical and Occupational Therapy Staffing Patterns in Nursing Homes and Their Association with Long-stay Resident Outcomes and Quality of Care.

The purpose of this study is to examine Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) staffing patterns in nursing homes and understand their relationship with quality performance. Bivariate analyses between PT/OT staffing and facility characteristics were performed to understand staffing patterns and random effects regressions were run to explore the link between therapy staff and quality. Findings suggest PT/OT staff have a positive influence on resident outcomes and therapy staffing patterns significantly differ across provider attributes, including size, profit status, and occupancy rate, among others. The findings can be used to inform policymakers about potential unintended consequences resulting from changes to Medicare reimbursement policies.

Characteristics associated with hospitalization within 30 days of geriatric intermediate care facility admission.

AIM: To identify facility-level characteristics associated with hospitalization within 30 days after admission to a geriatric intermediate care facility (GICF) (30-day hospitalization) in Japan. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used nationwide long-term care insurance claims data and a national survey of long-term geriatric care facilities. The study population was residents admitted to GICFs between October 2016 and February 2018. The outcome variable was 30-day hospitalization. The independent variables were facility-level characteristics such as level of healthcare professionals. RESULTS: The final sample for analysis comprised 282 991 residents of mean age ± SD, 85.8 ± 7.2 years, of whom 12 814 (4.5%) experienced 30-day hospitalization. In a multivariable logistic generalized estimating equation model adjusted for facility- and resident-level characteristics, and clustering GICFs, the odds of 30-day hospitalization were 0.906 times lower (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.857-0.958) among residents in a GICF with dental hygienist than in those in a facility without. Furthermore, the risk of 30-day hospitalization was lower among residents who had been admitted to a GICF with higher staffing levels of pharmacists (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.941, 95% CI 0.899-0.985), registered nurses (aOR 0.931, 95% CI 0.880-0.986), care workers (aOR 0.920, 95% CI 0.879-0.964) and speech-language pathologists (aOR 0.926, 95% CI 0.874-0.982) than in those who had been admitted to a GICF with fewer of these healthcare professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Transitional care including dental hygienist or higher staffing levels of pharmacists, registered nurses, care workers and speech-language pathologists may be a more effective way to prevent 30-day hospitalization. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2021; 21: 1010-1017.

Characteristics of Nursing Home Providers With Distinct Patterns of Physical and Occupational Therapy Staffing.

Previous work found a substantial growth in therapy staffing among nursing home providers following the introduction of Medicare's Prospective Payment System (PPS). Since the PPS, however, several new Medicare policies have been implemented that may impact the provision of rehabilitative care in nursing homes. In view of the rising focus on patient outcomes and provider performance, it is worthwhile to explore more recent therapy staffing patterns following the introduction of these Medicare programs. While our results show stable staffing levels through prior policy changes, upcoming Medicare payment changes will likely have a stronger impact that may result in reduced therapy staffing. In addition, given that our findings show that staffing patterns vary across provider type, we may see greater variation as a result of the upcoming changes. Thus, therapy staffing should continue to be monitored and deeper explorations into the impact of staffing changes on patient outcomes should be undertaken.

The Relationship Between Quality of Care, Physical Therapy, and Occupational Therapy Staffing Levels in Nursing Homes in 4 Years' Follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: To understand physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) staffing levels in nursing homes and to examine their relationship with quality of care. DESIGN: Observational study that used 4 secondary data sources to perform facility-level panel data analyses. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: For-profit and nonprofit US nursing homes participating in Medicare and/or Medicaid. The final analytic sample includes 42,374 observations from 12,352 nursing homes, 2013-2016. METHODS: Three Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services quality measures, including activities of daily living (ADL), falls, and 5-star quality, were used to examine the association between PT/OT staffing and quality. Bivariate analyses between PT/OT staffing and facility-level characteristics were run to describe the staffing disciplines in this setting. F tests and t tests were used to test for significance of each relationship. The sample was stratified into quintiles to determine if nursing homes with higher PT/OT staffing levels were linked to higher quality. Significance was determined using F tests and chi-squared tests. Finally, multilevel random effects regressions were performed to examine the relationship between PT/OT staffing and quality. RESULTS: Bivariate analyses indicate that PT/OT staffing levels vary across several nursing home characteristics. After stratifying the sample based on staffing levels, this study found that nursing homes that differ in staffing levels also differ in their quality performance. The random effects regression models also estimated a significant, positive relationship between higher staffing levels and quality, evidenced by each quality domain. CONCLUSIONS/IMPLICATIONS: The findings demonstrate that PT/OT staffing may be important components in improving long-stay resident outcomes and overall quality. Evidence was found in support of utilizing a combination of both PT/OT staff and nursing staff to improve resident outcomes, and expanding coverage of these staff/services under Medicaid. Further research should evaluate effective multidisciplinary approaches to care to lend further support to policy makers and progress quality improvement strategies.

Media Portrayal of the Nursing Homes Sector: A Longitudinal Analysis of 51 U.S. Newspapers.

Purpose: Most Americans' low opinion of the nursing home (NH) sector could derive, in part, from the way in which it is portrayed in the media. This study furthers understanding of media portrayal of the NH sector by identifying how NHs were depicted in 51U.S. newspapers from 1999 to 2008. Design and methods: Keyword searches of the LexisNexis database were performed to identify 16,280 NH-related articles. Article content was analyzed, and tone, themes, prominence, and central actor were assessed. Basic frequencies and descriptive statistics were used to examine article content across regions, market type, and over time. Results: Findings reveal considerably less NH coverage in the Western United States and a steady decline in NH coverage nationally over time. Most articles were news stories; more than one third were located on the front page of the newspaper or section. Most articles focused on NH industry and government interests, very few on residents/family and community concerns. Most articles were neutral or negative in tone; very few were positive or mixed. Common themes included quality, financing, and legal concerns. Tone, themes, and other article attributes varied across region, market type, and over time. Implications: Overall, findings reveal changes in how newspapers framed NH coverage, not only with respect to tone but also with respect to what dimensions of this complex issue have been emphasized during the time period analyzed. Variation in media coverage may contribute to differences in government and public views toward the NH sector across regions and over time.