Question

What are some of the facts and data about the number of deaths that occurred in Post-Acute and Long term care facilities across the USA during COVID-19?

Answer 1

At least 46,400 residents and workers have died from the coronavirus at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities for older adults in the United States, according to a New York Times database. The virus so far has infected more than 238,000 at some 10,100 facilities.

Nursing home populations are at a high risk of being infected by — and dying from — the coronavirus, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, is known to be particularly lethal to older adults with underlying health conditions, and can spread more easily through congregate facilities, where many people live in a confined environment and workers move from room to room.

While just 10 percent of the country’s cases have occurred in long-term care facilities, deaths related to Covid-19 in these facilities account for more than a third of the country’s pandemic fatalities.

In the absence of comprehensive data from some states and the federal government, The Times has been assembling its own database of coronavirus cases and deaths at long-term care facilities for older adults. These include nursing homes, assisted-living facilities, memory care facilities, retirement and senior communities and rehabilitation facilities.

Some states, including Colorado, Illinois, Maryland, Nevada, New Jersey and South Carolina, regularly release cumulative data on cases and deaths at specific facilities. California, Massachusetts, Michigan and Ohio, among others, provide some details on the number of cases — but not on deaths. Others report aggregate totals for their state but provide no information on where the infections or deaths have occurred. About a dozen report very little or nothing at all.

The share of deaths tied to long-term care facilities for older adults is even more stark at the state level. In 10 states, the number of residents and workers who have died accounts for half or more than half of all deaths from the virus.

The Times’s numbers are based on official confirmations from states, counties and the facilities themselves. They include residents and, in cases where reporting is available, employees of the facilities. Given the wide variability in the type of information available, the totals shown here almost certainly represent an undercount of the true toll.

Post-Acute and Long-Term Care in a Post-COVID -

The high mortality associated with COVID-19 cases in nursing homes is staggering. As of September 1, COVID-19-related deaths in long-term care (LTC) facilities comprise more than half of documented deaths from the disease in 22 states, even though fewer than 0.5% of the U.S. population resides in LTC facilities.

Nursing homes serve two broad constituencies: short-term patients who need skilled nursing care on a post-acute basis, and long-term patients who need help with activities of daily living in addition to skilled nursing care. The first group of patients is generally funded by Medicare and insurance companies, while the second group of patients is generally funded by Medicaid alone. Over 60% of nursing home residents are covered through Medicaid.

The COVID-19 pandemic will have lasting effects on nursing homes, beyond the COVID-19 case counts and death tolls. As nursing homes serve some of our most vulnerable populations, it is imperative that we consider the potential impact of major changes to these facilities to the patients who depend on them for post-acute and long-term care.

Below, we will consider the potential impact on Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries of major trends impacting the nursing home industry. Specifically, we will discuss:

• Alternative payment models
• Telemedicine
• Situs of care preference
• Mergers and acquisitions