While the skilled nursing industry awaits further guidance on what the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate for nursing home staff will entail, Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the American Health Care Association (AHCA), is calling on government officials to not only mandate the vaccine for all health care settings, but to provide an alternative to […]
American Health Care Association
Four members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced a bill this week which aims to provide a financial boost to wages and benefits for long-term care workers. The Nursing Home Workforce Support and Expansion Act — which was introduced Tuesday by Reps. Steven Horsford of Nevada, Barbara Lee of California, Steve Cohen of Tennessee […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ regulation requiring staff vaccination for Medicare and Medicaid participating long-term care facilities is expected in late September, and officials say it is aimed at leveling the playing field. “We know that there have been concerns about staff leaving based on the vaccine requirement, and we believe that this […]
The Biden administration’s vaccine mandate on nursing home staff has some operators preparing for a staff exit of up to 30%, the bulk of which is expected to be positions like certified nursing assistants or CNAs. For an industry already in the midst of an unprecedented staffing shortage, fanning the flames for CNAs to seek […]
While the Biden administration’s decision to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations at nursing homes across the country received immediate criticism from lobbying groups and operators that already face worsening staff shortage challenges, others say it could put more pressure on the federal government to better support nursing homes. “If anything positive came out of this it [will […]
The vast majority of skilled nursing and senior living operators, 84%, are currently tapping agency and temp staff to help with staffing shortages, according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care’s (NIC) most recent executive survey. Now in its 31st iteration since the COVID-19 pandemic began, responses were collected from 70 small, […]
Staffing demands from COVID-19 spurred a national 7.13% increase in hourly wages for certified nursing aides (CNAs) this year according to a report published by the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS). The spike outpaced a 2020 increase of 4.76%. Non-certified nurse aides saw the highest raise at 7.98%, up from 4.24% in 2020. Despite […]
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker ordered on Wednesday that all long-term care staff in the state must be vaccinated by Oct. 10. Massachusetts appears to be the first state to issue a COVID-19 vaccine mandate for nursing facility workers, according to the state’s long-term care association. The order received immediate praise from the state’s health care […]
Several factors continue to push patient care inside the home including health care waivers, patient preference, proposed legislation and an incentive to keep patients out of hospitals during the pandemic, as 32 states now offer hospital care at-home services as of July 27. While the clinical capabilities of in-home care remain limited, some operators are […]
Genesis HealthCare has implemented a “universal” COVID-19 vaccination requirement for its employees, care partners and onsite vendors, the post-acute care provider announced Tuesday. The policy requires that individuals have a single dose of the Janssen vaccine or the first dose of a two-dose mRNA vaccine by Aug. 23. The second dose, if applicable, would be […]
A new bill before Congress — the Choose Home Care Act of 2021 — received support on both sides of the aisle when it was introduced on Thursday, though one of the loudest voices in the long-term care lobby is disappointed to see it move forward. In a statement released on Thursday, the American Health […]
As delta variant cases continue to pop up across the country, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), was the latest to call for long-term care workers to get the vaccine this week. The organization joins LeadingAge and other senior care advocates in pushing providers to adopt mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations […]
As uncertainty grows over what will remain in the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) for senior care, letters have been pouring in from senior living organizations demanding that the money stays with long-term care facilities. Argentum President and CEO James Balda called efforts to “rob seniors to pay for sewer pipes” irresponsible and outrageous, in a […]
Edward-Elmhurst Health (EEH), one of the larger integrated health systems in Illinois, wants to give patients more choice in terms of where they are referred to in post-acute care. The Illinois-based 736-bed hospital system, with three hospitals including Edward Hospital, Elmhurst Hospital and Linden Oaks Behavioral Health, adopted healthcare technology company Aidin last year, and […]
Hours after Pennsylvania health officials announced proposed changes that would increase the time staff are required to spend with nursing home residents each day, the state’s Health Care Association called the mandates “out-of-touch” and “unattainable.” “In our current operating environment, this proposed regulation is an unattainable, unfunded mandate that will cripple an essential component of […]
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) are making another push for the federal government to release the remainder of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) established by the CARES Act. This comes at the heels of the organization’s most recent survey, which revealed that only a quarter of nursing homes […]
Skilled nursing facilities will need solutions to better retain and attract operational staff like New York-based New Jewish Home’s Geriatric Career Development program. Nevertheless experts say that investment in a universal direct care workforce may be needed. The direct care workforce, which includes certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in nursing homes, typically provide between 60-to-80% of […]
An increasing number of skilled nursing facilities have had to depend on staffing agencies, and find other alternative ways to fill shifts, during the height of the pandemic and into this year. Operators have historically tried to use agencies as a last resort because of additional fees associated with the service; residents need to see […]
Operators across the senior living spectrum are reporting that occupancy rates are starting to pick up, with skilled nursing facilities recovering the fastest. Staffing shortages, however, appear to be getting worse. That’s according to the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care’s (NIC) most recent survey of skilled nursing and senior living executives, now […]
The nursing home industry has been through the wringer over the past 24 months, first with the implementation of a new Medicare payment model, the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), and then the COVID-19 pandemic. Coming out of the pandemic, operators across the country need to start thinking about their future in the post-acute care continuum. […]
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