Many states have ramped up funding for nursing home staffing in recent years, and while the resulting increased wages and incentives have worked towards better retention, labor supply continues to be a problem. For example, Illinois passed legislation to support staffing at nursing homes, including through provision of more than $700 million in funds annually […]
Illinois Health Care Association
Preparations for Minimum Data Set (MDS) changes vary from state to state, raising questions about how Medicaid reimbursements will be determined as the clock ticks down to the Oct. 1 start date. The key issue is the removal of Section G, which is used to measure the functional status of residents, from the nursing home […]
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month signed an omnibus health care bill with some good news for nursing homes in the state, delaying fines tied to the state’s minimum staffing requirement for two-and-a-half more years. Pritzker’s decision gives those in the sector a glimpse into how a federal staffing mandate mightbe received and potentially […]
A lot of temporary measures will dry up or disappear when the public health emergency (PHE) comes to an end, but one thing that may become permanent is the Medicaid rate bumps states put in place to alleviate pressures nursing home operators face. At least that’s the hope for industry leaders and advocacy groups. Right […]
While establishing stronger staffing standards for nursing homes continues to be a top priority in the minds of federal leaders, few in the industry see it as a viable or sustainable path forward. Given the current staffing climate, with the long-term care workforce down an estimated 15% since the start of the pandemic, any newly […]
Running in tandem with federal efforts to provide adequate staffing levels and better pay to certified nursing assistants (CNAs), some state officials have undergone efforts looking to achieve similar results. Illinois House Bill (HB) 246 is making its way to Gov. JB Pritzker after state legislators on Thursday unanimously approved a $700 million increase to […]
As the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) vaccine mandate deadline looms this week, nursing homes across the country have stepped up to get their staff vaccinated in time – while still lagging on booster numbers. Nearly 85% of nursing home staff per facility are vaccinated, according to CMS data, and 87.3% of residents […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is in a “full court sprint” toward fulfilling the Biden administration’s proposed nursing home reforms first announced last week, CMS Principal Deputy Administrator Jonathan Blum said during a stakeholder call on Thursday. Twenty-one initiatives across five strategic goals will have short-, mid- and long-term timelines for implementation, […]
Price gouging typically refers to retailers taking advantage of spikes in demand by charging exorbitant prices, often after a state of emergency. Over the course of the pandemic, however, health care officials have found it’s not just retailers that are guilty of the practice. Accused of jacking up wages and providing poor quality care with […]
Illinois lawmakers’ approval of a Medicaid reimbursement increase for skilled nursing facilities earlier this year came as welcome news to providers in a state notorious for its difficult operating environment. But key definitions related to the requirements for staffing are still being finalized, and the ramifications for the funding boost are still unclear. “The whole […]
Because of delays by the Illinois government in processing Medicaid coverage applications, the non-profit operator of a skilled nursing facility that closed a year ago is now declaring bankruptcy. The State Journal-Register reported the news August 16th. The state of Illinois made headlines last year for a multi-million Medicaid eligibility backlog, and it already had […]
Increasing numbers of states have begun exploring managed Medicaid programs as a means of achieving savings as their populations age. But unless officials provide crucial oversight, skilled nursing facilities could find themselves under even worse financial pressures. It’s something that states and their legislators need to keep in mind as they weigh options for managing […]