Case Study: Benefits of Post-Acute Nursing Facility vs. Home Care

When a patient is released from the hospital, patient advocates often believe their best chance for recovery and avoidance of readmission is in-home medical care and rehabilitation versus admittance into a skilled nursing facility (SNF). During hospitalization, however, it’s challenging to envision the in-home post-acute care needs for each unique patient. Thus, it’s not a simple narrative on which option will best facilitate a quick and full recovery.

The Determining Factors

To gain better insight, a study by Penn State University Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) looked to determine the differences in 30-day readmission rates, 30-day mortality rates, functional outcomes, and Medicare costs between those patients discharged to home health and those to an SNF. The assessment factors were unique in that the research used a large data set (17 million Medicare beneficiary hospitalizations), controls for patient characteristics across care settings, and included patients with many different ailments.

The Findings

During 2010 and 2016, of the more than 17 million discharges considered in the study, over 40% of the patients received some type of post-acute services—39% were released into a home care setting and 61% to an SNF. While those discharged to home rehab had a 5.6% higher readmission rate at 30 days than those in the SNF category, it is assumed that the 24-hour monitored care and higher level of treatment provided by an SNF reduced the likelihood of post-acute complications. However, the slightly higher readmission rates of home-recovery patients were not attributed to life-threatening symptoms such as respiratory failure but were based on potential cautionary reasons at the caregiver’s or patient’s discretion.

When it comes to costs, the average savings per patient discharged to in-home care was $5,385 less than patients admitted to SNFs. Further, the total Medicare payment within the first 60 days following hospitalization was also less for the home health care group, with a savings of $4,514 per patient. Interestingly enough, though, the study found no difference in improved patient functionality from the home health setting versus a SNF, nor were their disparities in mortality rates between each group. While the study correlates fewer readmissions with SNFs, these facilities did incur significantly increased Medicare spending per patient.

Clinicians must be able to balance the benefits of both settings to ensure the best outcome for their patients. Additional research to better understand which patient profiles would most benefit from SNF care or may be less likely to be readmitted after discharge to home health care could provide vital insight for caregivers and hospitals alike.

Help for Home Caretakers

When a patient is released to in-home care, their family or friends are often the ones tasked with helping in their recovery. This care typically involves changing dressings, managing medications, and the operation of fundamental medical equipment. AliMed is committed to providing patients and caregivers with a wide selection of quality at-home specialty healthcare products designed to improve quality of life and promote safer, easier, and more independent living. Click here to learn more.

Follow us on social media for the latest updates in B2B!

Image

Latest

HVAC
Turning a Career Pivot into Award-Winning Success in the HVAC Industry with Chloe Glynn
July 8, 2025

Breaking into a technical field of industrial sales without prior experience is a huge challenge. But someone like Chloe Glynn achieved such a feat and turned an accidental career pivot into an award-winning profession. As many industries continue to shift towards relationship-driven sales strategies, Glynn’s journey offers a blueprint for success in a…

Read More
speaking up
The Power of Speaking Up: Building Your Voice into Your Professional Equity
July 8, 2025

If you want to raise your PQ, learn to speak up! In this episode of Professional Quotient (PQ): Conversations that Build Equity, host Jason Winningham, Founder and Principal Consultant of Professional Quotient, sits down with Lauren Sanchez, Chief Operating Officer at Semper Mind. Lauren reflects on her journey from feeling like a “baby deer”…

Read More
automation
Revolutionizing Revenue Cycle Management: The Power of AI & Automation
July 7, 2025

Amid a rapidly evolving tech landscape, decision-makers need to navigate new AI-driven solutions addressing industry-specific hurdles. This session, recorded at the HFMA 2025 show, sheds light on how leaders are using pioneering automation technologies to stay competitive and efficient.

Read More
Portable AV system
AV Anywhere: Portable AV Systems Are Now Essential for Mission-Critical Response in Unpredictable, Connectivity-Challenged Environments
July 7, 2025

In crisis scenarios, portable AV systems must perform under pressure because failure is not an option. As Keysight Technologies notes, the evolution of mission-critical communications now depends on low-latency, mobile-ready platforms that can operate reliably in unstable, infrastructure-poor conditions, making portable AV systems essential for real-time response and public safety operations. These are the…

Read More