LTACs did not look too good in a recent OIG report, but SNFs fared better.

Last month we hosted a timely webinar on who was going to win the battle for the post-acute patient, when and how. The “when” is still a subject of debate, but the “who” and “how” much less so.

The who is definitely leaning towards skilled nursing facilities. But part of the problem is the name, which is just one reason why providers are changing their names to transitional care, post-acute care, rehab care…anything to get the reference to “nursing home” out of the equation. How many 35-year old’s would go to a nursing home for their post-op rehab? Not many. Transitional care? No problem.

The “how” is a no-brainer: providing better care and outcomes. A recent OIG report found that 46% of Medicare patients in LTACs experienced either adverse events causing patient harm resulting from medical care, or temporary harm events which required medical intervention but had no lasting harm. Half of these adverse events were preventable.

In skilled nursing facilities, 33% of patients experienced either of these adverse events, compared with the 46% in LTACs. There is still room for improvement, but don’t forget, SNFs get paid a lot less. The time for site neutrality is now.