I agree that it is time to change the way we care for our nation's elderly. But imposing “one-size-fits-all” staffing requirements on nursing homes is not the change we need.
The Biden administration last month finalized minimum staffing rules for nursing homes.
Citing the relationship between adequate staffing and quality care, the Biden administration is seeking to address the staffing challenges hurting the long-term care profession through minimum staffing mandates. Staffing mandates will not create qualified and qualified direct care staff, which currently does not exist.
There are two issues that must be addressed at this time. There is a shortage of existing medical staff and a lack of funds to invest in nursing home care needed to compete in the medical labor market.
According to the Texas Nursing Workforce Research Center Advisory Board:
- Since 2010, the number of registered nurses in Texas has increased by 42%. However, only 3% of people work in long-term care, compared to 65% of those who work in hospitals.
- In 2023, TCNWS released data showing that more than 13,000 eligible applications for admission to nursing schools will not be accepted in 2023 due to a lack of clinical space or funded faculty.
More than 20 years ago, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) made recommendations regarding nursing home staffing levels. Before the pandemic, if these recommendations were mandatory, Texas would need 12,000 additional RNs and certified nursing assistants to meet the recommended staffing ratios. Nationally, the annual cost of meeting minimum staffing requirements could be as much as $6.8 billion annually to hire about 102,000 additional nurses, the analysis found .
Healthcare providers who are unable to meet staffing obligations have no choice but to refuse new patients or close units or entire facilities, especially in rural areas, which can reduce access to care and the loss of loved ones. further travel is possible. Consistent, well-trained staff are essential to providing the level of patient care that nursing home residents require.
Instead of mandates, we need to invest in expanding the educational pipeline that motivates nurses and encourages students to view long-term care as a long-term career. We need to invest additional funding that creates the ability for rural and urban providers alike to compete for the best staff.
As a nursing home professional for more than 25 years, I support the importance of consistent, high-quality staffing to care for residents in the state's more than 1,200 nursing homes. But in Texas, this should be about taking care of people. It is not about imposing additional duties on a profession that lacks the financial and human resources to achieve success.
Derek Prince is president and CEO of The Woodlands-based HMG Healthcare, which operates 37 post-acute care facilities in Texas and Kansas.
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