(Bloomberg) — Minimum staffing requirements for nursing homes hit by the pandemic are a target for the Biden administration, despite protests from the industry, despite a lack of funding to hire more personnel, according to a top health official. Will remain
“When we talk to people on the front lines in nursing homes, the number one we hear about is staffing,” Chiquita Brooks-Lasur, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in an interview Tuesday. . “And I think funding is a part of that, but it’s not the whole picture.”
The staffing proposal is part of a broader agenda that President Joe Biden released last week to call for greater scrutiny into a US nursing-home industry whose patients and workers have been ravaged by Covid-19. More than 201,000 residents and staff have died from the coronavirus in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Industry groups say nursing facilities have lost 238,000 positions since the pandemic began, about 15% of their workforce, even as employment in other health care settings has returned. They are challenging the administration’s plan to require a minimum staffing ratio, boost funding for oversight and oversight, and increase transparency around nursing home ownership.
“We want to hire more caregivers, but there are no staff to hire,” the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living said in a letter to administration officials on Tuesday.
not possible
The association’s chief executive, Mark Parkinson, called the minimum staffing proposal “unrealistic and not feasible” in a briefing with reporters last week, citing labor shortages in the industry and a lack of federal funding.
The group asked the administration for $20 billion in provider relief funds to help deal with the staffing problem, which the group calls the worst on record.
Brooks-Lasur said the administration wants to strengthen “the long-term sustainability of the workforce” and attract more workers at all levels. “I think we look at it as a holistic approach, and certainly making sure the funding is adequate is a piece of that.”
He said setting a minimum staffing threshold would ensure that public money goes to care.
In 2001, CMS issued a report to Congress recommending a minimum standard of 4.1 hours of nursing time per day per resident. According to a recent report from the watchdog group, no US state meets those guidelines today, although Washington, DC does.
Health officials also want to address other concerns for workers beyond pay, he said, like opportunities for career growth.
ownership transparency
In addition, the administration plans to bring more transparency in nursing home ownership. Biden executives have raised particular concerns about the growing role of private equity in the industry.
“We’ve seen increased reports that private-equity ownership is associated with worse outcomes. And so it certainly worries us,” Brooks-Lasur said. “Our focus is on increasing transparency and making changes that will ensure that dollars are being used to improve quality.”
The administration is seeking an additional $500 million from Congress to promote inspections and facility inspections.
“We understand,” Brooks-Lasur said. “It would really help us with the backlog.”
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