Illinois’ nursing home rate reform has led to “modest” improvements in patient health, according to a recent report from national researchers. [Health News Illinois] 

The analysis linked the 2022 reforms to a 12.2 percent increase and a 0.5 percentage point drop in 90-day hospitalization rates. 

Those hospitalization rates decreased by about 4.1 percent for Illinois patients compared to those in other states.

The researchers from Lehigh University, Johns Hopkins University, Georgetown University and the University of California, Los Angeles examined mortality, hospitalization and emergency department visits among nursing home residents from the second quarter of 2021 to the third quarter of 2023 through linked Medicare claims and minimum data set assessments.

“In this case-control study, we found that a Medicaid policy that incentivized high staffing levels was associated with modest improvement in some dimensions of patient health,” the study said. 

It is projected that if similar reforms were adopted nationally, it could prevent over 6,000 hospitalizations per year.

The law incentivized staffing improvements by providing facilities with bonus reimbursements up to $38.68 per Medicaid resident-day based on acuity-adjusted staffing levels.

Researchers said three other states have adopted similar staffing incentives, including Maine, New Jersey and Ohio.

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