Nursing home residents with pneumonia may actually be better off when treated in their facility rather than transferred to a hospital for treatment, a new study suggests.

Transferring nursing home residents with pneumonia to a hospital could expose them to additional health risks, researchers at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, found. Also, treating them at their nursing home could save a significant amount of money per resident, the study said. Nationally, the cost savings are estimated at nearly $831 million (U.S.) annually, researchers say.

Nursing homes that follow a defined standard of care to treat pneumonia similar to that of a hospital were able to cut the need for hospitalization by more than half, researchers found. For more on the study, visit .