Background: COVID-19 represents a grave risk to residents in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
Objective: To determine whether establishment of an appropriate-use committee was associated with a reduction in SNF utilization.
Designs, setting, and participants: Retrospective cohort study at NorthShore University HealthSystem, a multihospital integrated health system in northern Illinois. Participants were patients hospitalized from March 19, 2019, to July 16, 2020.
Intervention: Creation of a multidisciplinary committee to assess appropriateness of discharge to SNF following hospitalization.
Main outcome and measures: Primary outcome was total discharges to SNFs. Secondary outcomes were new discharges to SNFs, readmissions, length of stay (LOS), and COVID-19 incidence following discharge.
Results: Matched populations pre and post intervention were each 4424 patients. Post intervention, there was a relative reduction in total SNF discharges of 49.7% (odds ratio [OR], 0.42; 95% CI, 0.38-0.47) and in new SNF discharges of 66.9% (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.25-0.34). Differences in readmissions and LOS were not statistically significant. For patients discharged to a SNF, 2.99% (95% CI, 1.59%-4.39%) developed COVID-19 within 30 days, compared with 0.26% (95% CI, 0.29%-0.93%) of patients discharged to other settings (P < .001).
Conclusion: Implementing a review committee to assess for appropriateness of SNF use after a hospitalization during the COVID-19 pandemic is highly effective. There was no negative impact on safety or efficiency of hospital care, and reduced SNF use likely prevented several cases of COVID-19. This model could serve as a template for other hospitals to reduce the risks of COVID-19 in SNFs and as part of a value-based care strategy.