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Background Paper on Skilled Nursing Facilities in Rural Areas
This study will synthesize existing literature on skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) and present an overview of the issues and legislation relevant to SNFs in rural areas. The general characteristics of SNFs (size, type, ownership, complexity of case-mix) and how these characteristics may vary by geographic location and by type of SNF will be described. Analysis of the HCFA s 1998-1999 SNF Annual Cost Report Minimum Data Set will provide information about the financial performance of SNFs in rural areas, and whether there are differences in the financial performance of SNFs by geographic location or by type, especially since the implementation of PPS.
Publications
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Rural-Urban Differences in Nursing Home and Skilled Nursing Supply
Author(s): Kathleen Dalton, Courtney Harold VanHoutven, Rebecca Slifkin, Stephanie Poley, Ann Howard
Report Number: Working Paper No. 74
Date: 02 / 2003
Examines characteristics of nursing facilities and the supply of certified skilled nursing beds as the new PPS is being phased in, with particular reference to differences between urban and rural settings. Finds that rural-urban differences in the supply of long-term care beds and in the characteristics of long-term facilities are less pronounced, in general, than rural-urban differences in acute care capacity. Among the differences between urban and rural nursing facilities are: the most rural counties are the most likely to have no certified nursing homes; as counties become more rural, swing beds account for an increasing percentage of Medicare SNF discharges; and long-term care facilities in the most rural counties are more likely to be hospital based. Overall, the supply of nursing facilities does not appear to be a problem in rural areas, with the possible exception of the most rural counties.
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