Labor Costs and the Area Wage Index in Skilled Nursing Facilities

Research center:

North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Phone: 919.966.5541

Lead researcher:

Kathleen Dalton, PhD

Project completed:

February 2003

Topics:

Hospitals and clinics, Long-term care, Workforce

This project will examine regional patterns in Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) hourly wages, using data from Fiscal Year 1997 cost reports for all free-standing and hospital-based facilities. We will analyze wage differentials by community size and regional location with the objective of comparing these to the patterns found in inpatient hospital wages from the same areas in order to assess the impact of HCFA s use of a hospital wage index to adjust SNF payment rates.

There may be products related to this project; please contact the lead researcher for more information.