Predicting the impact of instituting a priority readmission policy in nursing homes

Abstract This paper utilizes a computer simulation model written in FORTRAN to predict the impact of changing a nursing home policy regarding the reservation of beds for Medicaid patients sent to the hospital for a stay of up to 20 days. The model assumes that the policy would be eliminated (beds would not be held open) and that what were formerly bed reservation patients would have priority over all others seeking admission to the nursing home. The output variables of primary interest are the average waiting time in the hospital to return to the nursing home, the average queue size for patients waiting to return and the maximum number of days such that at least 95 % (90 %) of the patients will have been able to return within that time period.