This article was published on 4/9/2021 on Skilled Nursing News and written by Maggie Flynn on April 8, 2021.

You can review the full article by visiting the article on Dialyze Direct: https://www.dialyzedirect.com/as-covid-19-puts-new-focus-on-caring-in-place-skilled-nursing-facilities-continue-to-explore-dialysis/

Here is a little snippet from this article:

For skilled nursing facilities, the ability to treat patients in place has far-reaching implications, perhaps most prominently in reducing unnecessary hospitalizations.

Usually, that reduction is framed in terms of cost, with penalties for hospitals and SNFs alike if a patient returns to the acute care setting too soon. SNFs that perform well in preventing resident rehospitalizations can earn bonuses, for instance, through the Medicare Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) program.

But even though controversy exists around the effectiveness of that program, there are other benefits. Institutional special needs plans (I-SNPs), a Medicare Advantage program specifically for residents in long-term care facilities, have pointed to the clinical benefits of treating patients in place in any context, but particularly in times of major contagious illness where any interaction can be risky — and hospitals have sometimes been overwhelmed.