On October 4, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published revised Requirements of Participation (RoP) for skilled nursing facilities (Medicare) and nursing facilities (Medicaid).[1] Although the substantive standards … [Read more...] about Staffing Requirements: The Revised Requirements of Participation
SNF Staffing
Don’t be Fooled by the Federal Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System
In 2014, The New York Times reported that nursing facilities were gaming the Five-Star Quality Rating System on Nursing Home Compare and that “even nursing homes with a history of poor care rate highly in the areas that rely on self-reported … [Read more...] about Don’t be Fooled by the Federal Nursing Home Five-Star Quality Rating System
New Nursing Home Requirements of Participation: A Missed Opportunity
Public coverage of the new nursing home Requirements of Participation (RoPs)[1] – the standards of care that nursing facilities must meet in order to be eligible for reimbursement by the Medicare and Medicaid programs – has focused … [Read more...] about New Nursing Home Requirements of Participation: A Missed Opportunity
Improving Quality of Care for Nursing Home Residents by Improving Wages, Benefits, Training and Working Conditions for Nurse Aides
The single factor most critical to high quality of care and quality of life for nursing home residents is the staff who provide residents with care. Most direct care in nursing facilities is provided by nurse aides, primarily women of color, … [Read more...] about Improving Quality of Care for Nursing Home Residents by Improving Wages, Benefits, Training and Working Conditions for Nurse Aides
Increasing Reimbursement to Improve Staffing Levels
IntroductionOne approach to improving nurse staffing levels is increasing reimbursement to nursing facilities, on the assumption and expectation that nursing facilities will use some of the increased reimbursement to increase their … [Read more...] about Increasing Reimbursement to Improve Staffing Levels
RNs and CNAs Work Fewer Hours in Nursing Facilities that Serve Predominately Ethnic and Racial Minority Residents
A December 2015 Health Affairs study of freestanding Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) from 2001 thru 2011 found that registered nurses (RNs) were less likely to work at nursing homes with high concentrations of racial and ethnic minorities.[1] This … [Read more...] about RNs and CNAs Work Fewer Hours in Nursing Facilities that Serve Predominately Ethnic and Racial Minority Residents
The Public Cost of Low-Wage Nursing Home Jobs: Pennsylvania Proposals to Stop Hidden Public Subsidies to Nursing Home Industry
Medicare and Medicaid payments to nursing facilities, amounting to more than $80 billion in calendar year 2013,[1] are the most visible way that government financially compensates the nursing home industry. In addition, but generally … [Read more...] about The Public Cost of Low-Wage Nursing Home Jobs: Pennsylvania Proposals to Stop Hidden Public Subsidies to Nursing Home Industry
CMS Reopens Public Comment Period for Proposed Revisions to the Nursing Home Requirements of Participation
On July 16, 2015, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published proposed rules to revise the nursing home Requirements of Participation (RoPs) – the federal rules that govern the standards of care that facilities must meet in … [Read more...] about CMS Reopens Public Comment Period for Proposed Revisions to the Nursing Home Requirements of Participation
Arkansas Supreme Court Affirms Class Certification in Case Challenging Chronic Understaffing in 12 Golden Living Nursing Facilities in Arkansas
Former residents at 12 nursing facilities owned by Golden Living in Arkansas (or their special administrators, guardians, or attorneys-in-fact) filed a lawsuit challenging the facilities’ chronic understaffing between December 2006 and July 1, … [Read more...] about Arkansas Supreme Court Affirms Class Certification in Case Challenging Chronic Understaffing in 12 Golden Living Nursing Facilities in Arkansas
Is the Movement for a Higher Minimum Wage Coming to Health Care?
Fast-food workers have been demonstrating for a higher minimum wage and recently, various corporations have increased the wages of their lowest-paid workers. Has the movement come to the health care industry?On May 22, 2015, the … [Read more...] about Is the Movement for a Higher Minimum Wage Coming to Health Care?