CDC: Some Nursing Homes Can End Indoor Mask Requirements

Some nursing homes will be able to remove the blanket indoor mask requirements that have been in effect for the last two and a half years — with the exception of those in areas with “high” Covid transmission levels. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued the guidance late Friday, just one month […]

Why Skilled Nursing Operators Must Look Beyond Washington to Solve the Workforce Crisis

As the skilled nursing industry works to stem the workforce shortage tide, leaders in the sector should not expect to find the ultimate answers in Washington. That’s according to Clif Porter, senior vice president of government relations at the American Health American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). “We can’t fix this in […]

Nursing Home Operator Sued Over Covid Death Asks Supreme Court to Hear PREP Act Case

The U.S. Supreme Court will have to decide whether it will hear a nursing home Covid-19 wrongful death case involving the PREP Act — potentially interpreting the federal statute for the first time. California-based nursing home operator Glenhaven Healthcare asked the Supreme Court to consider taking up the case in late August after the 9th […]

Carespring CEO: The Time Has Come to Lessen Covid-19 Restrictions in Nursing Homes

If the sector is going to make meaningful progress in rebuilding its depleted workforce pool, federal government agencies need to begin unwinding many of the stringent Covid-19 related guidelines nursing homes have adhered to over the last two-plus years. Until that occurs, the skilled nursing industry will likely remain stagnant, according to Carespring CEO Chis […]

Worst Might Be Over: Nursing Home Labor Improves With Strong August Job Growth

Nursing home labor shortages appear to have finally bottomed out, as this year has been defined by sequentially higher increases in the workforce. Most recently, nursing and residential care facilities in August saw a jump in employment of 12,000-plus jobs, with health care adding 412,000 jobs over the year. That’s quite the leap from an […]

Providers Push Back on CMS’s Move to Zero in on Nursing Roles in Minimum Staffing Study

Nursing home providers and industry leaders renewed their pleas this week to federal government officials to consider non-nursing positions in its proposed minimum staffing requirements, perhaps to no avail. An upcoming study to help determine an appropriate staffing level will squarely focus on nursing staff, specifically registered nurses (RNs), licensed practical nurses (LPNs), licensed vocational […]

American Senior Communities CEO Seeks Stability Amid Enduring Nursing Home Operating Perils

Donna Kelsey considers herself an optimistic realist. As the head of American Senior Communities (ASC), Kelsey remains hopeful about the opportunity to boost census across the company’s 102 facilities. She also recognizes the realities of continuing to operate in a pandemic where federal and state regulations for nursing homes remain tight as the rest of […]

Why Immigration Falls Short as a Nursing Home Workforce Solution — And How to Fix It

Current immigration policies are creating unnecessary roadblocks that hinder the recovery and potential growth of the nursing home industry’s workforce by “leaps and bounds.” And the situation has only become increasingly more dire as the sector faces a labor shortage at levels not seen in the last three decades. The ability to bring over international […]

AHCA’s Parkinson: Unfunded Federal Staffing Mandate Would Be ‘Lights Out’ For Nursing Homes Across The Country

The federal government provided relief to the nursing home industry in the form of a phased-in parity adjustment and a 2.7% pay bump, but a potentially enormous obstacle still stands in the way of the sector’s recovery. While many industry leaders believe a federal staffing ratio is all but guaranteed, the Centers for Medicare & […]

Nursing Home Leaders Not Likely to See Staffing Levels Recover Until 2026

Nursing home leaders looking to return to pre-pandemic staffing levels may have to wait at least four years should the industry maintain its modest pace of recovery. That’s according to a new report released Monday by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). Based on the nursing home sector’s average […]

The Case For And Against a Nursing Home Industry Crisis

Whether it’s uttered during an interview, highlighted during an industry conference or referenced in a news release, I’ve heard and seen the word “crisis” quite often during my time reporting on the skilled nursing industry. And it’s not surprising the word has been used so frequently. Covid-19 was a global crisis that hit the nursing […]

Federal Staffing Minimums Could Cost the Nursing Home Industry $10B

Establishing minimum staffing requirements at the federal level, like what the White House proposed back in February, may require nursing home providers to spend billions of dollars each year to hire tens of thousands of additional staff. That’s according to a new report from accounting and consulting firm CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA) in concert with the American […]

Good Samaritan CEO: Nursing Homes Face Triple Threat on Road to Recovery

The skilled nursing industry is staring down a triple threat. Providers are being challenged operationally, clinically and financially — at least in part due to rising labor and care costs, among other factors. Not-for-profit senior care giant Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society has had to close or sell nine facilities in just the last eight […]

Federal Bill Aims to Free Up Nursing Homes Facing Education ‘Lockouts’ Triggered By CMPs

Federal legislation was reintroduced on Monday to effectively remove a certified nursing assistant (CNA) education barrier for the nursing home sector, at a time when the industry is facing a historic staffing crisis. Under the Ensuring Seniors’ Access to Quality Care Act, originally introduced by Sens. Mark Warner of Virginia and Tim Scott of South […]

Devastating and Crippling: CMS Receives Thousands of Comments, Nursing Home Operators Push Back on Medicare Cut

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) needs to seriously consider what a reduction in skilled nursing reimbursement could mean for facilities that are already barely hanging on. At least that’s what providers have indicated in published comments submitted to the agency over the last month and a half. In total, CMS received approximately […]

Federal Bill Seeks to Understand Impact of Staffing Agencies in Health Care

While some see staffing agencies as more than a necessary evil for nursing homes amid industry-wide staffing shortages, lawmakers and industry advocates continue to push for more oversight and regulation over how these companies operate in the space. Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Kevin Cramer of North Dakota introduced the Travel Nursing Agency Transparency Study […]

Nursing Homes Add 1,300 More Jobs in May as 26% of Operators Fear Closure

While the latest employment numbers show the health care sector grew by 28,000 jobs in May – including 1,300 nursing home jobs – staffing shortages continue to hold operators back, with many still limiting admissions and asking current staff to work overtime as a result. Employment in health care overall is still down 223,000 jobs […]