A propensity score-matched cohort from the Registry of Senior Australians followed 205,079 residents aged 65 and over for 12 months after they entered long-term care between 2013 and 2018, comparing government, not-for-profit and for-profit facilities. In inner regional areas, mortality was higher in for-profit (HR 1.17) and government (HR 1.20) facilities than in not-for-profit ones, while government residents had the lowest risk of emergency department presentation and unplanned hospitalisation.
Why it is interesting: Separates ownership from geography in care home outcomes at national scale, and finds the mortality gap concentrated in inner regional areas rather than even across the sector.