A generation ago, SNFs were on the precipice of an epigenetic shift that would carry them beyond “subacute” care. They would offer managed care organizations a cost-effective alternative to hospitalizations. Facilities were renamed; more “D/B/As” were filed in 2001 than in all previous years combined. “Nursing Homes” became “Health & Rehabilitation Centers.” SNFs would create and lead Integrated Delivery Systems to the promised land known as “Healthcare Reform.” Alas, it seems that insurance companies, not to mention nature, have rules. No matter how far the SNF model of care progresses, people still struggle to see beyond their outdated image of “nursing homes.” A comparative search on Google Trends distills the essence of public perception. What will it take for skilled nursing facilities to finally evolve?
Read more below in Marc Zimmet’s “On the Origin of SPEOCCUPANCIES”
Origins