As nursing homes closures continue across the country, “nursing home deserts” are expanding, and the proposed federal staffing mandate is expected to exacerbate the problem. This is despite attempts to make the potential policy change easier for providers in rural markets, which are especially vulnerable to access issues. Operators in these areas point to the […]
Category: Compliance
States continue to take action on addressing wage disparities for nursing home staff even as the industry undergoes massive shifts marked by economic, operational and regulatory changes. Skilled nursing facility staff, as well as other health care workers in California, will slowly see their hourly wage increase to $25 over the next decade under a […]
The recently proposed federal nursing home staffing mandate includes the requirement that all facilities have a registered nurse on staff around the clock, every day of the week. Operators are taking some early steps to prepare for this requirement even as they rally against this aspect of the mandate, arguing that 24/7 RN staffing will […]
Unionization in the nursing home space may decrease staff turnover, and help employers meet proposed staffing minimums – especially in counties where most nursing homes are unionized. The presence of a union is associated with a 1.7 percentage point decrease in staff turnover, according to a study published on Friday in JAMA Network Open. This […]
Nursing home operators expressed frustration with Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes effective Oct. 1, with many concerned that they will be out of compliance with completion and submission requirements because of error codes. Errors are stemming from software vendors, and providers are unable to submit MDS data with proper coding information, nursing home operators said […]
More than a week after updates to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) went into effect, each section change seems to be emphasizing focus on the resident’s voice, which along with substantial coding changes – four years in the making – will require time to incorporate, experts said. Kevin Cezat, director of clinical excellence for Therapy […]
New Jersey’s nursing homes are facing scrutiny as a recent federal audit revealed that the state’s most troubled facilities are struggling to meet requirements for life safety, emergency preparedness, and infection control. Up to 20 of the most problematic facilities in the state were audited by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG), with the agency […]
The “clinical nightmare” created by Covid-19 has come to an end, but the “business nightmare” related to the pandemic is ongoing, and the “policy nightmare” has only just begun. That’s according to Mark Parkinson, CEO and president of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), the largest nursing home provider association in […]
A government shutdown has been temporarily averted – for 45 days at least – after Congress passed a stopgap bill Saturday evening. And while skilled nursing and other long-term care operators and their reimbursements would not have been immediately impacted, the industry could have seen indirect ramifications. So for now, the sector – whose members […]
Ahead of the upcoming Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes on Oct. 1, the preparation of clinicians is mixed and may have a lot to do with company size and regional market, along with resources to stay apprised of reimbursement updates. Many clinicians feel stressed and overwhelmed by the adjustments, with some playing catchup to the […]
Comprehensive Healthcare may be forced to close unless the owners are allowed to sell seven nursing homes, according to a report on Wednesday from TribLive, the website of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Comprehensive currently operates 15 facilities. The seven facilities involved in the sale have a combined 747 beds, according to the report. The U.S. Department […]
More than 280,000 residents, or nearly a quarter of all residents, could be impacted by the staffing mandate – if nursing home operators have no choice but to reduce their census in order to meet hourly requirements. The proposed federal mandate would require an estimated 102,154 additional full-time employees. That’s 80,077 certified nursing assistants (CNAs) […]
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspections of nursing homes have dropped precipitously so far this year even as Covid hospitalizations tripled over the summer for health care facilities overall and infections among nursing home workers “quadrupled” – this is on top of surges in RSV and the flu. OSHA inspections registered an 84% drop, […]
Fewer than one in five facilities would currently meet the required number of hours for RNs and CNAs as set forth in the federal minimum staffing proposal, with more than 80% of the facilities nationwide needing to hire more nursing staff. This is according to an analysis published by KFF on Monday. Interestingly, almost half […]
While nearly 21% of nursing homes across the country have developed nurse aide training programs to combat workforce shortages, civil monetary policy rules have severely hindered efforts to rebuild the workforce. Such training programs are revoked for two years, or cannot be initiated, if a SNF has been issued a CMP in excess of $11,995, […]
As the head of his family-owned nursing home business, Steven Tack, CEO of Pennsylvania-based Quality Life Services, says weathering the ups and downs of the last few years has rested on creating a family-like atmosphere for residents and staff – a message that can be universally applied to improve census and worker retention. Quality Life […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week updated the SNF Quality Reporting Program (QRP), with changes to specifications used to calculate quality measures effective on Oct. 1. In terms of measures slated for removal from QRP, CMS doesn’t address how these gaps will impact requirements for reporting in its latest update, Jessie […]
Although survey citation rules can vary from state to state, nursing home operators can implement broad steps to avoid deficiencies if they focus on the often overlooked easy fixes as well as the more complicated overlaps between disparate areas of care – ranging from food safety and mental health documentation to infection control. Certain trends […]
In a response to President Joe Biden’s editorial in USA Today, LeadingAge CEO Katie Smith Sloan penned her own opinion piece in the publication to tell the industry’s side of the story, as the nursing home space reels from the federal staffing minimum announcement last week. Notably, Sloan expanded on the story of nonprofits in […]
A staggering number of nursing homes reported challenges in meeting the care needs of their residents during public health emergencies and natural disasters due mostly to inadequate staffing, with transportation, communication and infection control and prevention also being among key areas hampering these efforts. This is according to the latest report issued Wednesday by the […]