DataPoint: Skilled Nursing Facility Average Length of Stay
Average length of stay (LOS) for Medicare beneficiaries in New York State was 28.35 days in 2014. New York ranked seventh nationally and was higher than the national average of 26.78 days. New York’s national ranking was also higher than any of its bordering states. Vermont (12th), Pennsylvania (26th), New Jersey (39th), Connecticut (45th), and Massachusetts (48th) all had LOS averages shorter than 28 days.
New York State Medicare beneficiary LOS data reveals a disparity between upstate and downstate averages. For 2014, the average length of stay for downstate Medicare recipients was 15 percent longer than in upstate skilled nursing facilities. Upstate averages fall below the national average, while downstate facilities exceed the national average by 10 percent.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released 2014 data in January 2017. The data is limited because it only includes Medicare’s fee-for-service population. Along with length of stay information, this dataset also includes a variety of other cost and utilization information.
The complete CMS Skilled Nursing Facility and Payment Public Use File can be found here. Facility-specific, New York State regional, and national data can be found here.
Contact: Ken Allison, kallison@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8820