Nursing homes have 210,000 fewer workers than they did before the pandemic, bringing workforce levels to their lowest levels since 1994, according to a trade group representing nursing homes.
The long-term care employment report, released last week by the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Life Support, outlines the industry’s dire staffing conditions.
While nursing homes have filled an average of 3,700 monthly jobs over the past nine months, at that rate it will take until 2027 for nursing homes to return to pre-pandemic staffing levels, AHCA/NCAL admits. see.
The organization says a lack of outside funding and prioritization from federal and state public health officials have made it difficult for nursing homes to address staff shortages and shortages. closed, as many did not have the money to hire staff or use up-to-date technology to streamline operations. statement.
“We need long-term programs and investments from policymakers to attract individuals to serve our nation’s seniors,” said AHCA. “The financial reality is that nursing homes depend on fixed government budgets, and for decades, Medicaid has failed to adequately fund the real costs of care for our nation’s most vulnerable people. me.”
As reported by Kaiser Health News, Medicaid covers services for 62% of long-term care residents, generating $50.8 billion in revenue for nursing homes.
The trade group’s report comes as the Biden administration takes steps to address the quality of nursing homes by improving accountability and staffing efforts. Over the past year, President Joe Biden has proposed a number of policies to address nursing home quality and safety, including a plan to set minimum staffing requirements. The plan has been opposed by some in the industry, including the AHCA, because of its projected costs.
According to a report by accounting and consulting firm CliftonLarsonAllen, to increase the minimum staff to the recommended 4.1 hours of nursing care per resident per day, nursing homes would need around 11 $.3 billion in additional funding annually.
Last week, the Biden administration, along with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, announced actions to make nursing home citations more visible to families and reduce the use of antipsychotics.
Trade groups estimate the cost of the change will be too great for nursing homes. As a result, the industry looked to Congress for funding.
Since March 2021, the AHCA has lobbied for Congress to consider the policy proposals in its reform agenda, the Care of Our Aged Act, and incorporate them into relevant legislation. Proposals include improving the workforce and providing loan waivers, tax credits, affordable housing, childcare assistance and immigration reform for long-term care professionals.
AHCA and LeadingAge, a network of nonprofit aging service providers, have proposed increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates to equal the cost of care, using additional federal funds to pay for the rate. nursing facility and establish federal guidelines for the definition of reasonable costs.
According to a survey by the AHCA in June 2022, although most nursing home providers have increased salaries and bonuses to recruit and retain staff, 96% still have difficulty recruiting positions. mind. About 78% have hired temporary agency staff to correct shortages.
The average nursing home employee turnover rate is 53.3% within a year, according to a 2022 study by the Alliance for Long Term Care Communities, a New York-based nonprofit that focuses on focus on quality of care.
The employee exodus means that only 26.8% of nursing homes will meet the total essential care worker threshold of 4.1 hours per day of residents by 2022, the union found.
