A screening tool that predicts short-term mortality of older adults could potentially be used to improve care for high-risk patients visiting emergency departments and other health care settings, including nursing homes. A recent study published in JAMA has highlighted the effectiveness of the Geriatric End-of-Life Screening Tool (GEST) in predicting 6-month mortality in older patients […]
Category: Clinical
The newly finalized minimum staffing standards by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) have ignited a significant debate among nursing home leaders regarding the inclusion and role of licensed practical nurses (LPNs). The mandate, announced on April 22, 2024, establishes new comprehensive minimum nurse staffing requirements, aiming to enhance the quality of care […]
Nursing homes in states with large rural communities have long struggled to grapple with workforce issues, and for most of these rural providers there seems to be no end in sight, making fulfilling the federal government’s staffing mandate an impossibility. For such communities, registered nurses (RNs) are especially hard to recruit, and statistics paint a […]
Over the past five years, long-term care facilities in Florida, including a few nursing homes but mostly assisted-living facilities, have been pressured due to a steep rise in commercial property insurance rates. According to the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration, insurance premiums in Florida rose by 125% during this period, with an average of […]
Although there is a chance the federal government’s staffing mandate may be overturned, operators should still be aware of how upcoming changes could impact their operations. This is according to sector experts, who said that while the mandate is well-intentioned, it lacks a comprehensive plan to address the realities of staffing shortages and regional variations […]
Sabra Health Care REIT’s (Nasdaq: SBRA) CEO Rick Matros said Thursday that the federal government’s premature release of the minimum staffing mandate shows a lack of consideration given to the thousands of comments submitted against it, leaving the sector with no choice but to challenge it. During the California based real estate trust’s (REIT) quarterly […]
As rural nursing homes face an ongoing battle for survival, the finalization of the nursing home staffing mandate has only served to instill more anxiety among caregivers and providers in these communities. Some approaches from the rural Midwest, from higher wages to educational training to becoming a nonprofit nursing home, look promising in improving staff […]
In a recent study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, researchers found that the risk of fractures was numerically higher among subgroups of residents with dementia, higher baseline blood pressure values, and recent antihypertensive medication use. The retrospective cohort study analyzed data from 29,648 long-term care nursing home residents within the Veterans Health Administration (VA) from […]
Skilled nursing facilities are set to see changes to the Quality Reporting Program (QRP), with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) making moves to address social determinants of health (SDOH) – mainly, adding factors such as living situation, food, utilities, and transportation. “These quality measures are leading us into the realm of health […]
Several states across the U.S. have introduced online navigation platforms to assist families and residents in making informed decisions on their search for a nursing home – after a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that Care Compare needed fixes to better serve residents. Both Missouri and Ohio have recently launched such tools, providing users […]
The nursing home sector’s minimal participation in Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) – largely because they have not found it lucrative to be in ACOs or have been sidelined within ACOs by other provider types – has resulted in a push for change. In a joint effort aimed at enhancing the integration of long-term and post-acute […]
Increasing nursing home staffing alone will not translate into better health or quality-of-care outcomes for dementia patients. This is the finding of a recently published study in the journal, Health Services Research, which combines the efforts of experts at UC-Irvine, UCLA, and the University of Chicago. Researchers recommend looking beyond just staffing to improve dementia […]
Nursing homes have seen a significant shift in staffing dynamics over the past decade, with a growing reliance on immigrant certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in the midst of a void left by the declining number of native-born staff, according to a recent study published in Health Affairs. SNN has reported that as the federal government […]
A recent audit by the New York Comptroller’s Office revealed that the state’s nursing homes are still unprepared for another pandemic or infectious disease outbreak, more than two years after the COVID-19 pandemic. The audit, led by Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, found that while the state health department has made some improvements since the height of […]
Part-time certified nursing assistants (CNAs) play a crucial role in providing patient care at skilled nursing facilities mired with staffing shortages, and yet they face high turnover rates. Washington State University analyzed the impact of scheduling decisions on part-time CNA turnover, addressing three key research questions related to hours worked and coworker variability. The study […]
Covid-19 cases and deaths are rising once again in U.S. nursing homes as vaccination rates have hit new lows, paving the way for a potential surge in infections during the upcoming winter months. This is according to the AARP Public Policy Institute and the Scripps Gerontology Center at Miami University in Ohio, which also found […]
Healthcare Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) specializing in post-acute care facilities experienced “disappointingly flat” occupancy rates in November, according to investment analysts. BMO Capital Market’s Juan Sanabria highlighted the challenges faced by skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) in maintaining growth, with market share loss to home health. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) data […]
Ownership transparency of nursing homes has been a subject of debate since the Biden administration floated the idea in early 2022, adding to negative notions – many say unfairly – that sullied the reputation of the sector at large. Now that the federal government has finalized a rule to expose the complex ownership arrangements within […]
As Covid cases rise across the country and nursing home operators prepare for another ‘tripledemic’ with the flu, RSV and Covid hitting at once, only 2% of staff are up-to-date on Covid shots while the national average sits at 17% for residents, according to data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A […]
The aftermath of the Covid virus, with enduring effects on older adults, resulted in prolonged dependence on nursing home staff. Older patients in nursing homes who survived Covid declined rapidly and for a much longer period for activities of daily living (ADL) and brain function, putting extra pressure on nursing home staff and resources, according […]
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