The issue of formally requiring patient surveys for nursing homes, similar to surveys mandated in other segments of health care, has long been a source of debate – one getting stirred up again after federal policy makers decided to nix patient satisfaction measures from the recently issued final prospective payment rule for 2024. The Centers […]
Big names in the staffing agency world are urging the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to classify temporary staff in nursing homes, among other health care settings, to be classified as employees rather than independent contractors. The coalition of some 30 health care staffing companies sent a letter earlier this month to the DOL, calling […]
Higher staffing levels contribute to better scores on quality measures suggesting that Care Compare for nursing homes could benefit from adding a measure for staffing instability. This is the recommendation of a study published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA), which revealed that both staffing instability and […]
Audits have been trickling in for the 5-claim improper payment probe and educate review led by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), which had announced its plans to implement the review for all SNF operators in the country in June. A webinar hosted by Therapy Management Corporation (TMC) on Tuesday delved into how […]
Nursing home operators are seeing government oversight surveyors collaborate at the state and federal level to issue more citations at a time when the nursing home industry is already grappling with a very tight regulatory environment. The survey process is fraught with problems – including lacking standardization – resulting in unnecessary citations and distractions, according […]
National Health Investors (NYSE: NHI) posted a bumpy second quarter pressured by rent collection, but executives said the company continues to eye deals with expectations to announce new investments in 2023 as economic conditions are beginning to favor a “buyer’s market.” “[Tenants] are struggling in this post pandemic era, which introduces variability to our quarterly […]
As government entities and organizations in the nursing home space are scrambling for policy changes to regulate staffing agencies, they seem to be prioritizing legislation that addresses price gouging while worker classification also remains on the table. The Protecting the Right to Organize Act (PRO Act) introduced in Congress in 2021 and currently being examined […]
As the nursing home sector nervously awaits a potential federal minimum staffing mandate, several states are implementing similar mandates of their own, with New York issuing initial letters of violation of state policy this week. According to nursing home advocates, New York’s Department of Health sent out its first set of letters to nursing home […]
Nursing home operators had a mixed reaction to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) final payment rule for 2024. While some operators said that they were generally appreciative of the 4% increase in Medicare reimbursement, they are also calling for more help and understanding from federal agencies in tackling the workforce crisis – […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule Monday that updates Medicare payment policies and rates for skilled nursing facilities under the Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System for fiscal year 2024. The federal agency estimates that the aggregate impact of the payment policies in the latest rule would result in […]
Surveyors in Connecticut are failing to conduct routine inspections in about half of the state’s 203 nursing homes, with serious violations on the rise over the past year-and-a-half. That’s according to a review by the CT Mirror of state data, which found 95 of Connecticut SNFs are overdue for recertification inspections. Facilities should receive recertification […]
Nursing home operators can expect a long comment period once the federal minimum staffing mandate comes out, potentially drawing out into the following year before anything is finalized. Barry Port, CEO of the Ensign Group (Nasdaq: ENSG), said during the company’s second quarter conference call on Friday, that this is the tiniest bit of clarity […]
Nursing home administrators succeeded at meeting minimum staffing standards during the pandemic, but their crisis management practices came with financial and emotional costs, suggesting that policy makers need to rethink staffing regulations and increase sources of governmental funding for more persistent labor solutions. These are the combined findings of two JAMA studies released on Tuesday. […]
Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) say the biggest challenge they face every day working in nursing homes stems from a staffing shortage for back-breaking work. It’s the second year in a row that the workforce crisis was listed as top priority in a survey conducted by the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA), which collected […]
Smaller, less-resourced hospitals may have been overburdened with the sheer number of nursing home referrals during the height of the pandemic, hinting at deep health care inequality among acute care facilities. That’s according to a study published by medical science journal Cureus, which found that at one community hospital in Connecticut, the mortality rate was […]
As the nursing home industry anticipates a deeper strain on its workforce as a result of the potential federal minimum staffing requirement, industry advocates are offering alternative solutions that would provide meaningful ways to improve quality of care. Publicly reporting customer satisfaction, building the long-term care workforce, improving the Special Focus Facility Program, and enhancing […]
Nursing home operators are facing burdens and pressures related to the survey process, in yet another consequence of the severe labor shortages facing the sector. Just as nursing homes have struggled to fill open positions, so too have survey agencies been dealing with worker shortages. Survey agencies are trying to shore up their ranks by […]
Leaders at nursing homes could create long-term value for their organizations if they adopted a population health focus, empowered local leaders and pursued actively value-based purchasing models. That’s according to a report published by CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) earlier this month. In an industry facing seismic changes, SNF operators should seize strategic opportunities, empower local leadership, and […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has introduced significant changes regarding medication coding related to certain high-risk drugs that will go into effect on Oct. 1 with the updates to the Minimum Data Set. These changes to MDS are focusing on specific medications, including antipsychotics, anti-anxiety medications, antidepressants, hypnotics, anticoagulant antibiotics and opioids. […]
In the aftermath of issuing a series of action plans, the Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition – a national coalition of 120 nursing home stakeholders – held a meeting Wednesday to share more details about the action plans to improve quality in nursing homes, with providers present saying that the coalition’s work is a […]
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