Certain nursing home characteristics — specifically those with higher Medicare star ratings, longer-tenured staff, non-profit and non-chain structures — are tied to better staff and resident vaccination rates, a JAMA Internal Medicine research report found.

According to data released on Thursday by JAMA, for-profit ownership was linked to a 2.5 percentage point decrease in staff and resident vaccinations, compared to non-profit facilities.

Each Medicare star rating equated to a 1.4 and 1.2 percentage point increase for staff and resident vaccination coverage, respectively. Facilities with a 10 percentage point increase in longer-tenured staff had a 1.5 percentage point increase in staff vaccinations, and less than one percent for resident vaccination rates.

“Ownership structure, quality and ability to retain staff may be key in facilities’ ability to vaccinate residents and staff,” JAMA concluded in its report.

JAMA added that vaccine acceptance often falls in line with county-wide vaccination coverage and 2020 presidential election voting patterns in its report.

The research organization looked at ownership status, overall quality rating, demographic characteristics of residents and staff, percentage of direct care staff with more than 33 weeks of tenure, cumulative staff and resident COVID-19 related death rates, and county-level information linked to adult vaccination coverage and the 2020 presidential election Republican vote margin.

Positions matter in the vaccination rate game too, with percentages varying widely depending on job title, JAMA said.

Of more than 14,900 nursing homes reporting vaccination data as of July 18, certified nursing assistants (CNAs) had the lowest average vaccination coverage at 49.2%; registered nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) had higher coverage at 61%, while therapists, physicians and independent practitioners averaged between 70.9% and 77%.