Long-term care hospitals under Medicare: facility-level characteristics.

Though accounting for only a small percentage of total Medicare spending, long-term care hospitals (LTCHs) (defined as having an average length of stay [LOS] of 25 days or more) have been growing, in number and in Medicare expenditures, at a rapid rate in recent years. Because they have not been widely studied, we conducted research to describe the characteristics of this increasingly important Medicare provider type. We found that most LTCHs specialize in the provision of respiratory care or rehabilitation. Information from this study can help inform the development of a Medicare prospective payment system for LTCHs.

Determinants and costs of Medicare post-acute care provided by SNFs and HHAs.

Provisions in the 1997 Balanced Budget Act affecting Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) and home health agency (HHA) services heighten the importance of knowing more about beneficiary, market, and policy factors that impact use of post-acute care and the costs of such services. This study used data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and other sources to address these issues. Findings shed light on responses that need to be monitored in light of the recently mandated policies and other SNF and HHA options that are being considered.