Medicare beneficiaries return to emergency rooms after nursing home discharge

Nursing homes are widely used by Medicare beneficiaries who require rehabilitation after hospital stays. But according to a recent study, a high percentage of Medicare patients who are discharged from nursing homes will return to the hospital or the emergency room within 30 days. The study included more than 50,000 Medicare beneficiaries who were treated at skilled nursing facilities in North and South Carolina, and revealed that approximately 22 percent of beneficiaries required emergency care ...