CMS poised to launch a national staffing campaign
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that it is developing a national nursing home staffing campaign to help operators meet the federal minimum staffing mandate. The campaign will provide support and resources to facilities struggling to comply with the new requirements, which include a total nurse staffing standard of 3.48 hours per resident day, with 0.55 hours of direct registered nurse (RN) care and 2.45 hours of direct nurse aide (CNA) care.
The CMS finalized the rule last week, despite criticism from the nursing home industry, including LeadingAge and the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), which argued that the rule lacks financial support. CMS officials acknowledged that some facilities may close as a result of the mandate, but stated that the current situation with inadequate staffing has resulted in poor quality of care and necessitated a change.
The campaign will be rolled out this summer, and will include staggered implementation timelines for rural and non-rural areas, as well as time-limited hardship exemptions to provide temporary relief. CMS officials emphasized that the rule is intended to drive the delivery of safe, quality care for all residents, and to reduce health disparities by ensuring that facilities maintain adequate staffing levels.
Dr. Dora Hughes, acting deputy administrator and director of the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at CMS, stated that the agency received over 46,000 comments on the rule, including many personal stories of residents going hours without toileting assistance, days without showers, and having medications delayed or missed entirely. She noted that these conditions disproportionately affect residents of color, and that mandating minimum staffing requirements will improve quality of care provided to residents from marginalized communities.
The article also mentions that companies such as AHCA/NCAL have estimated that the rule will cost $6.5 billion annually and require 102,000 extra clinicians, which could displace a quarter of residents. However, CMS officials are confident that the campaign will help facilities comply with the new requirements and improve quality of care for all residents.