Skilled Nursing Facility Changes in Ownership and Short-Stay Medicare Patient Outcomes.

In this cohort study of 11 004 SNFs in the US between 2016 and 2019, SNF characteristics historically associated with lower quality were more likely to change ownership; however, ownership changes were only associated with short-term increases in ED visits. These results suggest that SNF ownership changes may be a symptom, not a cause, of lower quality.