Long Term Care Nursing Homes

Over the past decade, nursing home utilization and length of stay have decreased.
Although the number of admissions to and discharges from nursing facilities increased approximately 60% from 1995 to 2002(from 67,000 to over 107,000),10 nursing facility bed availability and average census have decreased, reflecting declining length of stays (See Figure 4.)11
Figure 4: Comparison of Massachusetts Licensed Nursing Facility Beds to Census (All Payers), 1995-2008
LicensedCensusMassHealthEmpty Beds# of nursingfacility beds010000200003000040000500006000020082006200420022001200019971995Source: MassHealth Office of Long-Term Care.
Almost half of all MassHealth nursing facility residents stay less than one year; but 20% have extremely long lengths of stay.
In 2008, 46% of MassHealth lengths of stay were one year or less, while 33% were between 1-4 years and 21% were more than 4 years.12
This distribution skews the average length of stay for MassHealth nursing facility residents, which was 2.41years, or 881days, in 2008. In contrast, the average length of stay for
10 Massachusetts Extended Care Federation (predecessor to the Massachusetts Senior Care Association) (2005). The Changing Face of Long-Term Care. Newton Lower Falls, MA: Author.
11MassHealth Office of Long-Term Care. Boston, MA.
12Ibid.

