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_ Statement
from the Center for Medicare Advocacy The
deaths of more than 200,000 nursing home residents and staff have made clear
to the country that fundamental changes are necessary in the operations and
oversight of nursing homes. President Biden is leading the way with a
comprehensive nursing home reform agenda. Unfortunately, executives and
leaders in the nursing home industry are loudly complaining, making the same
arguments they have been making for years. No one should be fooled by
their discredited claims. Nursing
home executives argue that quality of care for residents has improved in
recent years, citing “quality measures.” These so-called “quality
measures” essentially let facilities grade themselves. Not
surprisingly, facilities give themselves an A+ and say they’re doing a great
job. Real, objective measures – staffing levels and independent,
unannounced inspections by trained state inspectors – tell a very different
story. Nursing facilities have too few staff and, too often, provide
inadequate care. Nursing
home leaders actually admit that no nursing home currently has enough staff
to provide care to residents. This admission understandably frightens
families and makes them, when possible, avoid nursing homes when their loved
ones need care. To deserve and gain public confidence, nursing homes
should be doing all they can to recruit and keep qualified staff. Nursing
home leaders also claim that the Biden nursing home staffing standard will
put them out of business. Really? First, there is no Biden
nursing home staffing standard. As part of his nursing home reform
agenda, President Biden is calling for a new study of staffing needs,
recognizing that a study about staffing prepared for the Federal Government
more than 20 years ago is outdated (although its conclusion, that more than
90% of facilities lack sufficient staff, likely understates the extent of the
problem today). Only after this new study is completed will the Biden
Administration propose an actual staffing standard to implement the study’s
findings and recommendations. Second, and in the meantime, President
Biden has committed to launching a National Nursing Home Career Pathways
Campaign to help “recruit, train, retain, and transition workers into
long-term care careers.” This Campaign will help ensure that there are
sufficient numbers of people who are qualified and prepared to work in
nursing homes. Industry executives also need to do their part, however,
by paying workers a living wage, providing them with appropriate benefits,
treating them well, and hiring enough workers to provide all the care that
residents need. Claims
that facilities cannot afford to hire more staff, even if staff were
available, ring hollow when private
equity firms and other
private buyers are sending prices for facilities to the highest levels ever. Instead
of scaring the public with threats of closings of nursing homes, which many
older people and people with disabilities, and their families, need and must
rely on, nursing home executives must be part of the solution towards
improving nursing home care. Embracing President Biden’s nursing home
reform agenda is one way for the industry to show that they are really
serious about improving care for residents. The Center for Medicare Advocacy (http://www.medicareadvocacy.org) is a
national, non-profit, law organization that works to advance access to
comprehensive Medicare coverage, health equity, and quality health
care for older people and people with disabilities. Founded in 1986, the
Center focuses on the needs of people with longer-term and chronic
conditions. The organization’s work includes legal assistance, advocacy,
education, analysis, policy initiatives, and litigation of importance to
Medicare beneficiaries nationwide. Our systemic advocacy is based on the
experiences of the real people who contact the Center every day.
Headquartered in Connecticut and Washington, DC, the Center also has
attorneys in CA, MA, and NJ. Center for Medicare Advocacy, Inc. • www.MedicareAdvocacy.org • PO Box 350, Willimantic, CT 06226 • 1025 CT Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 |
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