Reinstatement Of Medicare’s Three-Day Rule Increased Hospital Length Of Stay

After Medicare reinstated its three-day hospitalization rule as a prerequisite for coverage of skilled nursing facility (SNF) care, beneficiaries had longer hospital stays. The proportion of hospital stays lasting at least three days increased by 1.13 percentage points, and the likelihood of a longer stay increased by 1.9%. For beneficiaries discharged to a SNF, the proportions of hospitalizations lasting at least three days increased by 5.57 percentage points, and the likelihood of a longer hospital stay increased by 6.4%. Restoration of the Medicare three-day rule was not associated with changes in SNF discharge rates . . .