Acute hospitals and nursing home type patients.

With the introduction of Medicare came new regulations, one of which was the 3B certificate or thirty-five day rule. Under this rule medical practitioners must certify that in-patients will be in need of acute care, otherwise the patient is classified as a Nursing Home Type patient. Acute hospitals are finding an increasing number of beds filled with Nursing Home Type patients. This study examines the characteristics of such patients in comparison with other long stay patients and the implications this has for the acute hospital.