As the nursing home workforce emergency worsens across the country, aging services organizations are pushing back on “illegal and unconstitutional” staffing laws. LeadingAge New York, for example, on Monday filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn two state mandates: one requiring a minimum staffing ratio and another which dictates where nursing homes may direct their funds. […]
Category: Compliance
Despite the arduous operating challenges facing skilled nursing providers in 2022 — workforce shortages, inflation, occupancy and looming federal regulations just to name a few — the future of the sector may not be as dark and stormy as one might anticipate. The obstacles nursing home operators have already and will continue to face over […]
The director of nursing (DON) role has picked up dozens of additional responsibilities during the pandemic, clinical leaders say, as the nursing home sector continues to work through a historic staffing shortage. The result can amount to, at times, an “extremely stressful” position, according to North Shore Healthcare Chief Clinical Officer Tina Belongia. DONs across […]
While the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been winding down certain waivers tied to the public health emergency (PHE), the agency has been noticeably silent about what could be the most impactful of the pandemic-related waivers – suspension of the three-day stay requirement. Industry leaders aren’t holding out much hope that the […]
With the White House’s stated intention to raise the dollar limit on per-instance financial penalties levied on poor-performing nursing homes from $21,000 to $1 million, learning the ins and outs of the survey process from both the state and federal level will be more important than ever for operators. Dealing with “rogue employees” is one […]
Skilled nursing operators are facing madness — the bombardment of new tech, staff burnout, as well as intense and even ageist regulations and payment rates — yet there is a way to drive clinical innovation and create magic for residents. That’s according to Arif Nazir, chief medical officer at Signature HealthCARE and CEO of Signature’s […]
After months of uproar following the announcement that Covid-19 vaccinations would be required for health care workers, it appears the policy may not have hurt nursing home staffing the way that some had initially feared. In fact, staffing shortages have improved since the staff vaccination went into effect, KFF researchers found. An analysis of federal […]
Massachusetts will pay $56 million to the families of veterans who died or residents who got COVID-19 at a state-run nursing facility for veterans center, as part of a settlement agreement. The estates of veterans who died during the outbreak at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke in 2020 are expected to receive a minimum award […]
As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services moves ahead with efforts to increase transparency over nursing home ownership — and with private equity in particular taking heat — the former head of the government agency called some of the initiatives “a colossal waste of time.” Instead, former CMS Administrator Seema Verma believes a more […]
While federal protections like the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act provide at least a partial legal shield to nursing homes, an influx of Covid-related lawsuits could be coming down the pipeline. Litigators are looking to test nursing homes’ legal protections as lawsuit filing deadlines for the first few months of the pandemic arrive, […]
Facing unprecedented financial and labor challenges and regulators proposing unrealistic standards, skilled nursing providers have no choice but to change how they operate — or they risk failure. “I use this analogy of Wayne Gretzky – you’ve gotta skate to where the puck is going. That’s what I see us needing to do now. If […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services temporary nurse aide waiver will come to an end early next month, leaving nursing homes just four months from the June 7 date to get thousands of temporary workers trained and certified — or risk losing them. TNAs hired after June 7 will have four months from their […]
While the calls for nursing home ownership reform tied to private equity (PE) have grown louder from the current administration and other federal figureheads, industry leaders say such endeavors are old hat — investors are already leaving the SNF sector in favor of home health and private-pay senior housing. That’s according to an article published […]
Following this month’s announcement to sunset certain waivers associated with the public health emergency (PHE) during the pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) said it’s time to restore “minimum protections” to the nursing home setting, and “get back to normal operations.” Evan Shulman, director for the division of nursing homes under CMS […]
While the Biden administration’s overprescription reform in nursing homes focuses mostly on antipsychotics, research has found that other disease treatments – including medication for type 2 diabetes – are overprescribed as well. About 40% of nursing home residents with type 2 diabetes were either overtreated or potentially overtreated, according to results published in the Journal […]
Nearly two weeks after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a 4.6% cut related to the Patient-Driven Payment Model, Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure doubled down on the timing of such cuts for the industry, saying the agency’s hands are effectively tied. “I would say that we have statutory obligations, and that there are […]
The Biden administration’s recent efforts to further reduce inappropriate medications in nursing homes has been a multi-year endeavor for industry leaders, but many in the space believe there is still a long way to go. As part of the administration’s nursing home reforms, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will launch a new […]
The Biden administration is working toward pushing its value-based care agenda on nursing homes by way of state Medicaid programs, a daunting task with no two programs the same, and reimbursement rates varying widely based on state. As evidenced in reforms announced in February, federal agencies are also focused on tying staffing-related measures to value-based […]
While nursing home COVID-19 death rates have plummeted – with just 1,000 nursing home resident and staff deaths reported over the past four weeks – some health care experts don’t think the sector is out of the woods quite yet. Between February 20 and March 20, 1 out of every 80 nursing home residents were […]
Recent calls for nursing home reform and actions from regulators and lawmakers have drawn renewed attention to the role that certified nursing assistants currently play in care centers – and how their role could evolve. Some skilled nursing operators have responded to calls for expanding the CNA role by creating more specialized positions, and legislatures […]
Subscribe
Receive industry updates and breaking news from SNN.