HIMSSCast: Innovation is needed to staff skilled nursing and other provider facilities

On September 1, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposed minimum nursing standards for nursing homes, a move that has received pushback from stakeholders and lawmakers.

A final rule is due out after the public comment period closes on Monday, November 6. Exactly when the rule will be issued is anyone’s guess, though most people are expecting something by the end of the year, says Lee Hudson Teslik, founder and CEO of Reverence.

But no matter when it comes out, staffing – at nursing homes and at other provider facilities – has long been an issue in need of innovative solutions, said Teslik, who works with providers on workforce issues.

The core challenge is the ability to staff at scale, and there are diminishing returns on getting more people through money alone. There’s a lot that can be learned from other industries facing workforce shortfalls, such in the hospitality, airline and trucking industries.

For more on Teslik’s take on the minimum staffing rule and recommendations for staffing, listen to his conversation with Susan Morse, executive editor of Healthcare Finance News.
 

Talking points: 

• Providers have been bracing for a minimum staffing mandate to be released since President Joe Biden’s 2022 State of the Union address calling for Medicare to set higher standards for nursing homes. 
• The American Hospital Association has voiced concern over how the rule would affect hospitals already facing discharge delays due to patients waiting for long-term care facility beds to become available.
• One of the main concerns of the proposal is the aspect of a 24/7 nursing staffing requirement.
• CMS offers no money for facilities to meet a minimum staffing level mandate with the cost expected to be in the billions.
• An estimated three-quarters of nursing homes in the country would be required to hire more workers under the proposed rule.
• The labor shortage that was exacerbated by COVID-19 shows no signs of slowing down as baby boomers retire and need more care,

More about this episode:

HHS proposes minimum staffing standards for nursing homes

Bipartisan lawmakers tell HHS to reconsider nursing home staffing mandate

CMS’ own study appears to question proposed staffing standards

Minorities suffer most from COVID-19 in nursing homes and assisted living communities

Nurses, mental health professionals in high demand

Twitter: @SusanJMorse
Email the writer: SMorse@himss.org