ASSOCIATION OF FUNCTIONAL STATUS AND DISCHARGE DESTINATION FOR PATIENTS DISCHARGED FROM INPATIENT REHABILITATION. (16th November 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Deutsch, A; Palmer, L; Vaughan, M; Marino, M; McMullen, T; Levitt, A; Mandl, S
• Is Part Of: Innovation in aging. Volume 2(2018)Supplement 1
• Page Start: 894
• Page End: 895
• Publication Date: 2018-11-16
• Subjects: Aging -- Periodicals; Gerontology -- Periodicals; 612.67
• DOI: 10.1093/geroni/igy031.3333
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2399-5300

Abstract

Abstract: Over the last decade, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services developed and tested a standardized set of functional assessment items to address the range of patients seen across post-acute care (PAC). The items include seven self-care and 15 mobility items, which include daily activities like eating, bathing, and walking. National data collection began October 2016 for Inpatient Rehabilitation Facilities (IRFs). Using the first 12-months of data (October 2016 – September 2017; N = 490, 032), we tested item validity by examining the relationship between patients' functional abilities and discharge destination. Construct validity was supported by significant differences between those discharged to a community setting versus other discharge locations: patients who achieved higher function scores at discharge were more likely be discharged to the community versus non-community settings, e.g., skilled nursing facility. A one-unit increase in patients' discharge self-care score was associated with a 15.7% increase in the odds of being discharged to the community (OR = 1.157; p-value = <0.001). Similar results were found for patients' discharge mobility score (OR = 1.071; p-value = <0.001). When examining each functional status item at admission and discharge, patients with greater independence (i.e., higher scores) were more likely to be discharged to the community. For functionally independent patients at discharge, a high percentage were discharged to a community destination across all data elements (range of 85.9% to 97.3%). These standardized function items are also being used in other PAC settings and research implications of these validity findings will be discussed.