Patient Functional Outcomes in Skilled Nursing Facilities: The Mediating Role of Declining Therapy.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To estimate changes in functional outcomes in Medicare fee-for-service skilled nursing facility (SNF) patients after declines in therapy minutes that occurred after Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM) implementation and during the COVID-19 pandemic. We also tested the hypothesis that declines in therapy minutes mediated changes in patient functional outcomes.

Design

Retrospective cohort study using mediation analysis. Exposures were PDPM implementation (October 2019) and COVID-19 pandemic onset (March 2020). The mediator was average minutes of therapy per day (MTD) including all physical, occupational, and speech therapy minutes during the SNF stay.

Setting

All US SNFs.

Participants

Patients (N=3,534,928) at post-acute SNF stays from January 2018 thro

SUBMITTER: Prusynski RA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12517036 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature