CMS to Visit Nursing Homes as Part of Minimum Staffing Proposal

Nursing home leaders may soon hear from the federal government, if they haven’t already, to schedule site visits as part of the agency’s efforts toward proposing a staffing minimum sometime next year.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) contractor Abt Associates will visit 65 nursing homes across all 10 regions between August and October, according to an Aug. 10 blog post written by Jodi Eyigor, LeadingAge’s director of nursing home quality and policy.

Facilities have been chosen based on their location, size, ownership type, staffing and quality levels based on the five star quality rating system, use of agency staff and the proportion of Medicaid residents served and/or if the facility is located in a disadvantaged area.

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The visit will include a meeting with the administrator and director of nursing (DON), three to four registered nurses (RNs), three to four licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and three to four certified nurse aides (CNAs) for interviews.

Interviews will also be conducted with two to three residents and family members who are available during the visit, according to the post.

CMS’s staffing study also includes a literature review, a quantitative analysis of the relationship between staffing and quality, an examination of costs associated with a minimum staffing requirement and stakeholder input.

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The White House released its proposed nursing home reforms back in February, which included proposed minimum staffing requirements.

CMS, in a report issued to Congress back in 2001, recommended a daily minimum standard of 4.1 hours of total direct care nursing time per resident: 2.8 hours from certified nursing assistants; 0.75 hours from RNs; and 0.55 hours from licensed practical/vocational nurses.

Despite that report being issued more than two decades ago, there is no minimum number of direct care nurse and nursing assistant hours per resident per day required by the federal government.

Instead, the federal requirement states that nursing homes must provide “…sufficient nursing staff to attain or maintain the highest practicable … well-being” of every resident.

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