Changes in Medicare skilled nursing facility benefit admissions.

In this article, the changes in Medicare skilled nursing facility (SNF) benefit admissions from 1983 through 1985 are examined and factors that influence changes in access since the implementation of Medicare's prospective payment system are analyzed. During this period, use of the SNF benefit increased nationally by 21 percent. Multivariate analysis is used to determine factors associated with changes in admissions. Changes in SNF benefit admissions were found to be negatively associated with changes in area hospitals' lengths of stay and changes in hospitals' discharges. Medicaid reimbursement policies were also shown to affect changes in utilization.