Elder Law

Journal Report Sees Poor Survival Rates Amongst Medicare Patients

By Levin & Perconti

A report published in the June 9 edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association found that survival rates among Medicare beneficiaries who have been transferred to long-term acute-care hospitals is quite poor. The report used long-term-care trends, which did include all Medicare hospitalizations involving admission to an intensive-care unit of an acute-care, non federal hospital in the US. The study released statistics which show that the long-term care hospitals more than doubled in the past two years, while the number of admissions more than tripled. Costs in these hospitals rose from $1.32 billion from a figure of $484 million in the past ten years.

Mortality rates are also increasing. The nursing home study showed that transferred patients had a higher number of co-morbidities. The numbers went from 5 in 1997 to 5.8 in 2006. Mortality rates remained high throughout the entire study period. They increased from 50.7% in 1997 to 52.2% in 2006. The Acute Long Term Hospital Association is stating that it will welcome the chance to engage in debate about the role of long-term hospitals in the healthcare system. It is imperative that they address these problems now, before they get worse. With the rising numbers of patients residing within these types of nursing homes, there is bound to be nursing home negligence. Hopefully, the health reform law will help secure patient safety within the nursing homes. If you believe that a loved one wrongfully died within a long-term hospital, please consult a Chicago nursing home attorney.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on June 15, 2010 (boomark / email).