The study involved interviewing staff in 16 hospitals and 25 nursing centers in eight markets across the US, as well as examining Medicare claims data for nearly 300,000 patients discharged from those same 16 hospitals in a seven-year period (2008-2015). The team used the interview data to classify hospitals’ collaboration efforts with nursing centers into “high” versus “low” collaboration groups and to understand collaboration activities. These included establishing partnerships, transition management initiatives, and conducting hospital staff visits at nursing centers. Compared to low-collaboration hospitals, high-collaboration facilities were more likely to discharge patients to nursing centers (vs. other post-acute care settings, home, or home with home health); discharged a higher share of patients to high-quality nursing centers; and reduced nursing center readmissions sooner and more.

Although the Brown researchers recognize that collaboration been hospitals and nursing centers requires significant investment in administrative and clinical time, they conclude that such relationships can improve patients’ transitions and outcomes.