How do Utah short-term nursing homes compare to long-term facilities?
Nov 12, 2024, 12:00 PM | Updated: Nov 13, 2024, 9:54 am
FILE - Bret Harte Retirement Inn residents make their way down to the dining room for lunch, May 6, 2020, in Grass Valley, Calif. Utah has a good number of highly ranked nursing homes but, there's a difference between our short-term and long-term care. (Elias Funez/The Union via AP, File)
Credit: ASSOCIATED PRESS
(Elias Funez/The Union via AP, File)
SALT LAKE CITY– Utah has a good number of highly ranked nursing homes but there’s a difference between short-term and long-term care.
A new U.S. News study gave nearly 40 Utah nursing homes the highest rating possible. However, only five of those are long-term care facilities. The vast majority are rehab-focused.
U.S. News Chief of Health Analysis, Ben Harder said he has a theory as to why.
“The compensation that facilities receive from the federal government and from state agencies and often from private insurance companies is, generally, more generous for those patients who are expected to make a full recovery and go home,” he said.
Harder said the type of facility can have a major impact on patients’ well-being. He said patients in high-ranking nursing homes are 60% less likely to go to the emergency room.
Britt Johnson is a reporter and anchor for KSL NewsRadio.
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