Health Administration Programs, College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, USA.
Health Care Manage Rev. 2011 Jan-Mar;36(1):78-85. doi: 10.1097/HMR.0b013e3181e62c36.
Florida's nursing home industry has experienced significant financial pressure over the past decade. One of the primary reasons is the dramatic increase in litigation activity for nursing home providers claiming negligent care and abuse. Although anecdotal reports indicate a higher cost because of malpractice in nursing facilities, few studies have examined the extent of malpractice paid losses and their effect on the financial performance of nursing homes.
The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of malpractice paid losses on the financial performance of nursing homes.
METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Medicare Cost Report data and Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting data for Florida skilled nursing facilities over the 6-year period from 2001 to 2006 were used to calculate the malpractice paid losses and the financial performance indicators as well as the nursing home organizational and market factors. Descriptive analysis and multivariate regression analysis were used to examine the effect of paid loss on financial performance.
The paid loss for malpractice claims was strongly associated with financial performance. Nursing facilities with malpractice paid losses had consistently lower total margins over the study period. The threat of nursing home litigation may create an incentive for nursing homes to improve quality of care; however, large paid claims can also force nursing homes into a financial situation where the organization no longer has the resources to improve quality.
Nursing home managers must assess their malpractice litigation risk and identify tactics to mitigate these risks to better provide a safe and secure environment for the older persons. In addition, this research offers support for local, state, and federal policymakers to revisit the issue of malpractice litigation and the nursing home industry through its insight on the relationship of nursing home margins and litigation.
在过去的十年中，佛罗里达州的养老院行业经历了巨大的财务压力。其中一个主要原因是针对养老院护理疏忽和虐待行为的诉讼活动急剧增加。尽管传闻报告表明由于护理设施中的医疗事故而导致成本更高，但很少有研究检查医疗事故赔偿损失的程度及其对养老院财务业绩的影响。
本研究旨在探讨医疗事故赔偿损失对养老院财务业绩的影响。
方法/方法：使用 Medicare 成本报告数据和 2001 年至 2006 年六年期间佛罗里达州熟练护理设施的在线调查、认证和报告数据，计算医疗事故赔偿损失和财务绩效指标以及养老院组织和市场因素。描述性分析和多元回归分析用于检查赔偿损失对财务绩效的影响。
医疗事故索赔的赔偿损失与财务绩效密切相关。在研究期间，有赔偿损失的养老院的总利润率一直较低。养老院诉讼的威胁可能会促使养老院提高护理质量；然而，大额赔偿索赔也可能使养老院陷入财务困境，使组织没有资源来提高质量。
养老院经理必须评估他们的医疗事故诉讼风险，并确定策略来减轻这些风险，为老年人提供更安全的环境。此外，本研究通过对养老院利润率和诉讼关系的见解，为地方、州和联邦政策制定者重新审视医疗事故诉讼和养老院行业问题提供了支持。
