Disposition at discharge and 60-day mortality among elderly people following shorter hospital stays: a population-based comparison.

This study examines whether shorter hospital stays following the introduction of Medicare's Prospective Payment System have been accompanied by increased mortality or an increased rate of discharge to nursing homes. An examination of hospitalizations for all elderly residents of Olmsted County, MN (N = 5,854) for 1980, 1985, and 1987 demonstrates significant increases in 60-day mortality and nursing home transfers after this system began. These increases, however, are largely explained by differences in risk factors other than length of stay, such as patient age, gender, disease severity, and complexity.