Readmission Reduction Strategies for Patients Discharged to Skilled Nursing Facilities

Abstract

Background: Some hospitals seek integration with skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) to reduce readmissions while others focus more on patients discharged home. Purpose: Our objective was to understand different approaches for readmission reduction for patients discharged to SNFs based on contrasting strategies from 2 competing hospital systems. Methods: Employing a case study methodology, we compared 1 hospital system that integrated with SNFs to a competing system that did not. We compared interview data from clinical and administrative staff and publicly reported rehospitalization rate changes from the 2 systems. Results: Analysis of integrating hospital system interviews noted providing patients detailed discharge information and educating SNF staff regarding care protocols. Integrated hospital system all-cause readmission rates declined by nearly 1 percentage point more than the nonintegrated hospital system (coefficient, −0.008; 95% confidence interval, −0.003 to −0.012) between 2014 and 2017. Conclusion: As hospitals explore care transition improvements to SNFs, developing more embedded relationships highlights one approach to improve value.