Medical providers are significant drivers of care in post-acute long-term care settings, yet little research has examined the medical provider workforce and its role in ensuring quality of care.

This article examines the impact of nursing home medical staffing organization dimensions on the quality of care in US nursing homes. Respondents who reported having a formal process for granting privileges and nursing homes with direct employment of physicians reported significantly fewer emergency visits. The results of the impact of nursing home medical staffing organization dimensions were mixed, with many domains not having any significance or having negative relationships between provider characteristics and quality measures.