State’s Workforce Funding Boost Yields Limited Results as Labor Pool Shrinks Due to Licensing, Training Issues

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 […]

Nursing Homes Win 2-Year Delay on Staffing Mandate Penalties in Illinois

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 […]

$700M Medicaid Boost Tied to Staffing Levels Greenlit for Nursing Homes

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 […]

Nursing Home Staff Vaccine Rates Promising Ahead of CMS Deadline, But Boosters May Be a ‘Step Too Far’

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 […]

CMS in ‘Full Court Sprint’ to Carry Out Biden’s Nursing Home Reforms

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, […]

$240M Illinois Medicaid Funding Increase Remains Unclear: ‘It Could Be Eaten Up in Penalties’

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 […]

A Year After SNF Closure, Illinois’s Medicaid Issues Lead to Bankruptcy for Non-Profit Operator

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 […]

Rise of Managed Medicaid Could Deepen Skilled Nursing Financial Woes

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 […]