U.S. healthcare organizations are filing for bankruptcy at record rates as they increasingly rely on risky debt, leading to increases in staff turnover and harm to patients—particularly elderly ones living in nursing homes.
A new study by Stanford heath economist Adrienne Sabety indicates the residents of those bankrupt long-term care facilities are more likely to be hospitalized 30 days after having been admitted to the home, and are more likely to have been physically constrained and to have suffered from bedsores due to less experienced nurses and staff.
“New workers are less familiar with the patients and facility, which adversely impacts patient outcomes,” she said.
Sabety and her fellow researchers provide what they believe is…
