Rehab and death: Improving end-of-life care for Medicare skilled nursing facility beneficiaries

Rehab and death: Improving end-of-life care for Medicare skilled nursing facility beneficiaries
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society; by Sarguni Singh, Christian Davis Furman, Lynn A. Flint, Joan Teno; 8/25
Hospitalized older adults with serious illness may be discharged to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) [and] ... for those that do not improve, discharge to a SNF can begin a cycle of costly care transitions between hospital, home with home health care, SNFs, and long-term care facilities, leading to fragmented care and missed opportunities for discussions about preferences for care, illness understanding, and to address distressing symptoms. In this article, we describe key policies that contribute to high-cost, low-value care near the end of life for older adults using the Medicare SNF benefit.