title: Skilled Nursing Facility Care for Patients With Heart Failure: Can We Make It "Heart Failure Ready?"
abstract: Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) have emerged as an integral component of care for older adults with heart failure (HF). Despite their prominent role, poor clinical outcomes for the medically complex patients with HF managed in SNFs are common. Barriers to providing quality care include poor transitional care during hospital-to-SNF and SNF-to-community discharges, lack of HF training among SNF staff, and a lack of a standardized care process among SNF facilities. Although no evidence-based practice standards have been established, various measures and tools designed to improve HF management in SNFs are being investigated. In this review, we discuss the challenges of HF care in SNFs as well as potential targets and recommendations that can help improve care with respect to transitions, HF management within SNFs, and modifiable factors within facilities. Policy considerations that might help catalyze improvements in SNF-based HF management are also discussed.
authors: Division of Cardiology and the CardioVascular Center, Tufts Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts; Post-Acute Cardiology Care, Wellesley, Massachusetts. Electronic address: norr@postacutecardiologycare.com.
authors: Nicole M
authors: NM
authors: Orr
authors: Eastern Colorado (Denver) Veterans Association GRECC, Denver, Colorado; University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors: Rebecca S
authors: RS
authors: Boxer
authors: Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Cleveland, Ohio.
authors: Mary A
authors: MA
authors: Dolansky
authors: University of Colorado School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado.
authors: Larry A
authors: LA
authors: Allen
authors: Geriatric Cardiology Section, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center, VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors: Daniel E
authors: DE
authors: Forman
mesh_terms: D006333:Heart Failure / Q000451:nursing*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D012866:Skilled Nursing Facilities; D000069341:Transitional Care; D014481:United States
keywords: Skilled nursing facility; heart failure; policy; post-acute care; systems of care; transitions