Nursing Home to Nursing Home Transfers during the Early COVID-19 Pandemic

OBJECTIVES: To examine the nursing home to nursing home transfer rates before and during the early COVID-19 pandemic and to identify risk factors associated with those transfers in a state with a policy to create COVID-19-care nursing homes. DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohorts of nursing home residents in prepandemic (2019) and COVID-19 (2020) periods. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Michigan long-term nursing home residents were identified from the Minimum Data Set. METHODS: Each year, we identified transfer events as a resident's first nursing home to nursing home transfer between March and December. We included residents' characteristics, health status, and nursing home characteristics to identify risk factors for transfer. Logistic regression models were conducted to determine risk factors for each period and changes in transfer rates between the 2 periods. RESULTS: Compared to the prepandemic period, the COVID-19 period had a higher transfer rate per 100 (7.7 vs 5.3, P < .05). Age ≥80 years, female sex, and Medicaid enrollment were associated with a lower likelihood of transfer for both periods. During the COVID-19 period, residents who were Black, with severe cognitive impairment, or had COVID-19 infection were associated with a higher risk of transfer [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) (95% CI): 1.46 (1.01-2.11), 1.88 (1.11-3.16), and 4.70 (3.30-6.68), respectively]. After adjusting for resident characteristics, health status, and nursing home characteristics, residents had 46% higher odds [AOR (95% CI): 1.46 (1.14-1.88)] of being transferred to another nursing home during the COVID-19 period compared to the prepandemic period. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: In the early COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan designated 38 nursing homes to care for residents with COVID-19. We found a higher transfer rate during the pandemic than during the prepandemic period, especially among Black residents, residents with COVID-19 infection, or residents with severe cognitive impairment. Further investigation is warranted to understand the transfer practice better and if any policies would mitigate the transfer risk for these subgroups.