Hospitals excel at providing acute care for patients in need of immediate, intensive or emergency care. Some patients are not ready to go directly home from the hospital and need to be transitioned to a skilled nursing facility (SNF) for specialized care and rehabilitation. Unfortunately, some post-acute patients — especially Medicaid patients — are essentially “stuck” in hospitals when a bed cannot be found for them at a SNF. This stalls their recovery, and keeping them unnecessarily hospitalized uses a valuable community resource in hospitals that are already operating near or at capacity.
HB 1854 would require the Medicaid managed care plans to assemble an adequate and appropriate network of covered SNFs. It would require the Washington State Health Care Authority to monitor and enforce timely and appropriate placement of patients in SNFs. It would also create an incentive to place patients at a SNF by creating new fees on the plan if it has not placed the patient in a reasonable amount of time.
Smooth, timely transitions out of the hospital allow patients to get the right care they deserve at the right place and time. Click here to read more. (Zosia Stanley)
House Health Care & Wellness Committee: Wednesday, February 15, 1:30 p.m.
