Reducing Hospitalizations Among Nursing Facility Residents: Policy Environment and Suggestions for the Future in Seven States.

The current study examined the policy and market context existing in the seven states where the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Initiative to Reduce Avoidable Hospitalizations among Nursing Facility Residents took place. Stakeholder organizations with knowledge of the skilled nursing facility environment but who were not directly involved with the CMS Initiative were interviewed to assess the impact of policies and programs affecting transfers to the hospital from long-term care facilities. Focused interviews were used to identify areas of quality improvement as well as market forces that contributed to hospitalization rates.