The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) announced it will launch a ‘comprehensive review’ of nursing home regulations across the country. According to Health Leaders Media, CMS Administrator Seema Verma announced the new initiative last week in response to mounting criticism by states and federal legislators. Administrator Verma said the government agency will seek $45 […]
Understaffing
How to Fix Oversight Problem at New York Nursing Homes
New York’s Department of Health appears unable to adequately monitor the nursing homes across the state and hold poor performers accountable. Elder care advocates say the state agency must reform to protect senior citizens from poor care and nursing home abuse. Thankfully, legislators in Albany appear to finally be listening. According to The Buffalo News, […]
New York Lawmakers Move to Establish Minimum Staff Requirements at Nursing Homes
In response to the increase in for-profit nursing homes and recent data on nursing staff levels across the state, New York lawmakers plan to introduce a bill establishing minimum levels of nursing staff at long-term care facilities across the state. According to state legislators, under-staffing remains a serious problem at New York nursing homes and […]
Death at Brooklyn Nursing Home Ruled Homicide
Authorities declared the death of an elderly man at a Brooklyn nursing home a homicide earlier this month. The police described a tragic fight between two nursing home patients that began over “a pair of pants.” A “tug of war” over a piece of clothing quickly turned into a violent brawl at Crown Heights Center […]
Federal Government To Begin Cracking Down on Short-Staffed Nursing Homes
The federal government announced this month that it will begin performing more surprise inspections at nursing homes in an effort to crack down on nursing homes with inadequate staffing. According to the government, these surprise inspections will be done on Saturdays and Sundays at nursing homes with records of insufficient nursing staff on the weekends. […]
As For-Profit Nursing Homes Increase, Quality of Patient Care Decreases
A rarity only a few decades ago, nursing homes operating for profit have exploded across the country. According to NPQ, for-profit nursing homes account for over 70 percent of all facilities across the country. According to elder care advocates, the rapid takeover of the nursing home system has harmed America’s vulnerable senior citizens. Instead of […]
Medicare Lowers Ratings for Short-Staffed Nursing Homes
In response to insufficient medical and nursing staff, Medicare has lowered ratings for 1 out of every 11 nursing homes across the country. The lowered ratings come after the government agency retooled the way it calculates the nursing staff at each nursing home. Under the new method, which requires nursing homes to submit payroll information […]