High Medicaid Nursing Homes: Contextual Factors Associated with the Availability of Specialized Resources Required to Care for Obese Residents

ABSTRACT

Obesity is an increasingly important concern in the delivery of high-quality nursing home care. Obese nursing home residents require specialized equipment and resources. As high Medicaid nursing homes have limited financial ability, they may lack the necessary resources to address the needs of obese residents. Moreover, there are variations in the availability of obesity-related specialized resources across these facilities. This study aims to investigate the organizational and market factors associated with the availability of obesity-related specialized resources in high-Medicaid nursing homes. Survey and secondary data sources for the study period 2017–2018 were utilized. The survey data were merged with Brown University’s Long Term Care Focus (LTCFocus), Nursing Home Compare, and Area Health Resource File datasets. The dependent variable was the composite score of obesity-related specialized resources, ranging from 0–19. An ordinary least square regression with propensity score weights (to adjust for potential survey non-response bias), along with appropriate organizational/market level control variables were used for our analysis. Our results suggest that payer-mix (>Medicare residents) and a higher proportion of obese residents were positively associated with the availability of obesity-related specialized resources. Policymakers should consider implementing incentives, such as increased Medicaid payments, to assist high Medicaid nursing homes in addressing the specific needs of obese residents.

KEYWORDS:

• Obesity
• specialized resources
• high-Medicaid nursing home

Key Points

• High Medicaid nursing homes with a high Medicare payer-mix and facilities with a higher proportion of obese residents were positively associated with the availability of obesity-related specialized resources.

• Payer-mix of a nursing home can significantly impact the nursing homes’ ability to obtain and control critical resources.

• Policymakers should prioritize specific regulations including reimbursement adjustments to ensure that nursing homes can adequately cater to the needs of the older obese adults.

• Nursing home administrators should pay special attention to the needs of obese residents because failure to plan and provide adequate obesity equipment may place nursing staff and/or nursing home residents at risk.

Disclosure statement

We have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.