A December 2021 study reviewed state nursing home staffing standards and concluded that staffing standards in almost every state remain severely low. The Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) recently reviewed state policies that can help address staffing issues, including increasing Medicaid payment rates, changing Medicaid payment methods to incentivize facilities to devote more revenue to staff, and requiring minimum staffing levels above the federal standard. We also examine state legislative and regulatory actions since the onset of the pandemic that directly affect worker wages and training requirements. 0000035309 00000 n 1 DON RN full-time. The only resolution to the workforce crisis, which is not going to be resolved today, tomorrow, in a month, or six months for that matter, is a partnership between the administration, the legislature, providers and labor working together to put in real initiatives that will help recruit and retain workers, Hanse told Skilled Nursing News. Interviews with nursing home leadership, direct care staff (including RNs, LPNs/LVNs, and CNAs), and residents and their family members will be conducted to better understand the relationship between staffing levels, staffing mix (what types of staff are present), and resident outcomes and experiences (i.e., clinical outcomes, safety, health disparities) using rich contextual information collected during the interviews. At least three states adopted permanent changes to staff training requirements to expand the pool of staff available to work in nursing homes post-COVID (Figure 2 and Appendix Table 3). Author(s) As passed by the House in November 2021, the Build Back Better provisions would have directed the HHS Secretary to study and report to Congress and propose regulations on any appropriate minimum federal nursing staff to resident ratios. Florida also amended its definition of direct care staff whose hours can count toward the minimum hprd to include personal care attendants. WebNURSING HOME STAFFING STANDARDS IN STATE STATUTES AND REGULATIONS UCSF Survey of Nursing Home Staffing Standards, 2007 9 STATE STANDARD State In addition to administrative agency action, Congress could adopt legislative changes, though it is currently unclear whether the nursing home provisions that were included in the Build Back Better legislation would be included in another budget reconciliation package that is possible this summer. Although setting minimum staffing requirements could have a positive impact on the overall quality of care and resident satisfaction, the financial impact could be devastating for some facilities. This effort includes issuing a Request for Information (which occurred earlier this year as a part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule. A December 2021 study found that although minimum staffing thresholds exist, the requirements are vague and not adequate for providing seniors with an acceptable level of care. Two years into the pandemic, he says it's time for them to take care of themselves. It's also a bad day when he cannot call his 94-year-old mother, because his computer has been pushed out of reach. "We think it's really important to set a very specific standard that can be measured against, to really make sure staff is adequate to ensure quality," says Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the federal agency that regulates and funds most nursing homes in the U.S. 0000007128 00000 n [2] The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) has highlighted and exacerbated the long-standing staffing challenges experienced in many facilities, creating an urgent need to address this issue for the well-being of all individuals residing in our nations federally certified nursing homes and the workers who care for them. At least four states adopted laws or regulations that require increases to nursing home staff wages since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic (Figure 2 and Appendix Table 2). found that although minimum staffing thresholds exist, the requirements are vague and not adequate for providing seniors with an acceptable level of care. 3 Department of Physiological Nursing, School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, 1 RN 8 consecutive hrs/7d/wk & 1 RN/LPN for 2 remaining WebA skilled nursing facility is a special facility or part of a hospital that provides medically necessary professional services from nurses, physical and occupational therapists, speech pathologists and audiologists. The White House on Monday unveiled a slew The April 2022 National Academies report recommends direct-care registered nurse coverage 24 hours a day, with additional registered nurse coverage that reflects resident census, acuity, case mix and residents professional nursing needs as determined by their assessments and care plans. Additionally, some commenters noted that evidence shows that most facilities have adequate resources to increase their staffing levels without additional Medicaid resources. Support Team is Available 24/7 1 DON RN full-time or minimum 36 hrs/wk (at least 18 hrs between 7am and 7pm). Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. CMS administrator Brooks-LaSure says she's listening to industry concerns, including their call for more money to keep up with rising costs, especially labor. Skilled Nursing News is an on-demand healthcare marketplace that connects nurses with nursing homes and other healthcare facilities. What will the staffing study look like? Filling the need for trusted information on national health issues, MaryBeth Musumeci , However, there has never been a federally required minimum number of staffing hours per resident day, despite repeated calls to establish one from researchers and patient advocates over the last several decades. Ward will find that while she's attending to one resident, another is incontinent. 0000004038 00000 n 0000002445 00000 n WebTwo bills passed by the New York State Legislature set minimum staffing levels in both nursing homes and hospitals. Are there federal nursing home staffing standards currently in place? The vast majority of those comments voiced concerns related to residents not receiving adequate care due to chronic understaffing in facilities. [6]What else is included in the study? More recently, CMS uses the public Nursing Home Five Star Quality Rating System to identify facilities with staffing challenges, such as low weekend staffing or excess variation in daily staffing levels. According to Genworths 2018 Cost of Care Survey, assisted Innovative talent drives the aging industry forward. Nominate Now. Job What did CMS learn from the Request for Information? This RFI was a first step to facilitate a holistic approach to advancing future changes in these areas. ". MECHANICSBURG, Pa. (March 1, 2023) LeadingAge PA, an association representing more than 370 aging services providers, including many who operate 2.70 hprd; 1:20 ratio of nursing staff to residents; 2 staff on duty at all times, Texas (Austin, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio). Some commenters suggested that CMS focus on implementing an acuity staffing model per shift instead of a minimum staffing requirement, while some recommended a staff to patient ratio instead. Finally, both federal and state policymakers will likely be considering the recommendations in the National Academies comprehensive report on improving nursing home care quality. Earlier this year, the White House outlined an ambitious plan to improve the safety and quality of nursing home care, first and foremost by establishing a federal minimum staffing requirement for nursing homes funded through Medicare and Medicaid. It means that you have to confront issues around wages, issues around benefits, issues around working conditions and what it means to have a safe working environment for the caregivers.. These states include Oregon and South Carolina. [7] Nursing Home Staff Turnover and Weekend Staffing Levels, Memorandum from CMS to CMS Certified Nursing Home Operators (Jan. 7, 2022). Unless the government increases the amount it pays for nursing home care, Sandri says, "we just don't have it in our piggy bank. Published February 15, 2022 at 8:25 AM EST iStock / The Florida Channel In addition to the 2.5-hour standard, current law also requires that certified nursing assistants and licensed nurses provide a weekly average of 3.6 hours of direct care per patient per day. 0000013130 00000 n Find nursing staff with a variety of specialties, including geriatric nursing, palliative care nursing, and more. 0000006448 00000 n Access a large database of nursing staff, making it easy to find the perfect match for your needs. At least five states adopted permanent increases to nursing home minimum staffing requirements after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, while at least one state adopted a permanent decrease (Figure 2 and Appendix Table 1). In Virginia, House Bill 646 would require the state Board of Health to establish a minimum of 2.8 hours direct care per resident per day for nursing aide staff, and at But those state-level requirements are all lower than what the federal government recommended more than two decades ago, the last time the issue was studied. Ease your staffing struggles with NurseDash! "In D.C., you can work for Amazon at $19 an hour. 0000035697 00000 n A minimum of 25% of direct care must be provided by RN/LPN; at least 10% must be provided by RN. Importantly, this study is on an accelerated timeline and seeks to build on, not replace, previous studies. 7500 Security Boulevard, Baltimore, MD 21244, By:Pauline Karikari-Martin PhD, MPH, MSN, PHNA-BC, RN Senior Nurse Researcher and Cameron Ingram, MFA Policy Analyst of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Staffing Study to Inform Minimum Staffing Requirements for Nursing Homes, In February 2022, President Biden announced a, The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has launched a multi-faceted approach aimed at determining the minimum level and type of staffing needed to enable safe and quality care in nursing homes. Or when he misses his wheelchair time because there aren't enough staff to lift him out of bed. She aims to have a rule in place within a year, an optimistic time frame given the lengthy federal rulemaking process and other challenges. The nursing home industry has been struggling in recent years, with many facilities already cutting back on services due to budget constraints. . As an example, New York proposed a bill to establish nursing home staffing levels, such as 3.5 hours of total nursing care per resident per day, with 1.1 hours of care being required from a licensed nurse.[9]. Published: May 16, 2022. The public comment period closed on June 10, 2022, and CMS received over 3,000 comments from a variety of interested parties including advocacy groups; long-term care ombudsmen; industry associations (providers); labor unions and organizations; nursing home staff and administrators; industry experts and other researchers; family members, and caretakers of nursing home residents. In Specifically, Florida retained its total hprd but increased the number of licensed practical nurse hours and decreased the number of certified nursing assistant hours that count toward the overall total. 0000030078 00000 n While the staffing requirements may be changing, here are the current staffing guidelines, according to the State Nursing Home Staffing Standards Summary Report for the markets supported by NurseDash. This effort includes issuing a Request for Information (which occurred earlier this year as a part of the Fiscal Year 2023 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule[3]) and conducting a new study. While staffing shortages in nursing homes have existed for decades, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and intensified the need for sufficient, consistent, trained staff to care for residents. Additionally. 98 (D. Nev) (Mar. In a 2001 report, CMS found that in order to avoid bad outcomes, nursing home residents should each receive at least 4.1 hours of direct nursing care per day. Hochul originally delayed implementation of the mandates, citing the industrys staffing challenges made worse by the omicron variant. Following up on the White House announcement of a package of nursing home reforms, CMS recently released a request for information to inform its planned development of a federal minimum staffing requirement for nursing homes. document.write(new Date().getFullYear()); Are they going to direct care?" "1ARPeBJU& lL" L@7, H XY~ B Four out of 5 who initially express interest in a job don't come in for interviews. 1 RN 8 consecutive hrs/7d/wk & 1 RN/LPN for 2 remaining shifts. In Baltimore, Holly Ward is a geriatric nursing assistant at a nursing home that has earned an "above average" rating for staffing from CMS. [1] https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/02/28/fact-sheet-protecting-seniors-and-people-with-disabilities-by-improving-safety-and-quality-of-care-in-the-nations-nursing-homes/, [2] 87 FR 22720, pages 22771-22772: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/04/15/2022-07906/medicare-program-prospective-payment-system-and-consolidated-billing-for-skilled-nursing-facilities, [3] Fiscal Year 2023 Skilled Nursing Facility Prospective Payment System Proposed Rule:https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2022/04/15/2022-07906/medicare-program-prospective-payment-system-and-consolidated-billing-for-skilled-nursing-facilities, [4] Social Security Act, sections 1819 and 1919, [5] Social Security Act, sections 1128I(g)(4), 1819, and 1919, [6] Appropriateness of Minimum Nurse Staffing Ratios in Nursing Homes, 2001: https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/elderjustice/legacy/2015/07/12/Appropriateness_of_Minimum_Nurse_Staffing_Ratios_in_Nursing_Homes.pdf; and the 2005 Staff Time and Resource Intensity Verification (STRIVE) Project: https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/SNFPPS/TimeStudy. The bill was voted down two days later in the House Health and Family Services Committee. April 20, 2023 Washington, D.C. CMS has held listening sessions with the general public to provide information on the study and solicit additional stakeholder input on minimum staffing requirements. This brief examines state legislative and regulatory actions since the onset of the pandemic to address nursing home staffing, including minimum staffing requirements, policies that directly affect worker wages (other than increases to provider reimbursement rates), and training requirements. 2435 0 obj <> endobj xref Industry associations and nursing home resident advocates provided divergent views on the establishment of minimum staffing levels. hide caption. [1] One key initiative within the Presidents strategy is to establish new minimum staffing requirements so every nursing home has sufficient staff who are adequately trained to provide the safe and quality care residents need. The law requires the states more than 600 nursing homes to provide 3.5 hours of care per resident per day. https://seniorhousingnews.com/2021/06/23/81-of-assisted-living-providers-report-recent-staff-shortages/, https://www.ahcancal.org/News-and-Communications/Fact-Sheets/FactSheets/Workforce-Survey-September2021.pdf, https://www.cms.gov/Medicare/Medicare-Fee-for-Service-Payment/PhysicianFeeSched, https://leadingage.org/sites/default/files/LeadingAge%20Letter%20to%20FTC%20-%20staffing%20agencies%20final%2010-8.pdf, Buying Distressed Operations in the Skilled Nursing Facility Space, Distressed Long Term Care Assets: A Lenders Perspective, Regulatory Considerations in Acquisitions of Troubled Long Term Care Facilities, CCPA/CPRA & VCDPA Notice of Collection, Disclosure, & Privacy Policy, Minimum Staffing Requirements for Nursing Homes Pose Regulatory Risks, Increased use of telehealth and telemedicine technologies, especially in light of CMS expanded reimbursement for such services.[10]. 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