Each week we will highlight three trending news articles shared from the long-term care industry. From nursing homes to skilled nursing facilities, this weekly post will catch you up to speed on what's new.

Fighting the Perception That Entry-Level Nursing Home Jobs Are a ‘Dead End’

The skilled nursing sector is facing a staffing crisis, and it's about to get worse.

The senior care field faces an estimated shortfall of 2.5 million workers by 2025, with the proportion of skilled nursing staff needing to be replaced at an all-time high. Skilled nursing operators are taking a lead role in developing new strategies to make entry-level positions more attractive and establish career pathways for employees.

Just last week, top federal officials met with industry leaders to discuss effective ways to enact nursing home reform and implement the Biden administration's recommendations on creating opportunities for employees and making nurse aide training more affordable. These meetings come at a critical time: A recent survey by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care found that more than one in four skilled nursing facilities are experiencing at least one staffing shortage.

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BREAKING: CMS ends nurse aide certification waiver, many other COVID-19 allowances

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Thursday announced the end of 16 waivers that have eased regulatory requirements for skilled nursing facilities and their staffs since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among the provisions lifted is a requirement that facilities provide nurse aide training. The CMS waived training requirements early in the crisis because many locations were unable to safely engage in in-person education. The agency noted, however, that facilities must continue to ensure that their employees can competently perform their duties.

Other measures include discharging or transferring patients who no longer require a stay at a skilled nursing facility; restrictions on how different parts of a facility are used; and requirements for medical professionals to complete surveys and assessments in person.

All of the waivers will expire at different times: Some during the next 30 days, and others during the next 60 days.

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CMS’s Proposed $320M Decrease in Nursing Home Medicare Funding Could Be ‘Ruinous’ for Struggling Operators

On Monday, the federal government proposed a payment rate update to nursing home reimbursements for fiscal year 2023.

This update includes a 4.6% cut related to the Patient-Driven Payment Model, which amounts to a total loss of $320 million in payments from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

CMS also recommended a 3.9%, or $1.4 billion, payment increase to the industry. This increase was calculated by raising the market basket rate for skilled nursing facilities by 2.8%, adding a 1.5 percentage point forecast error adjustment and adding a 0.4-percentage-point multi-factor productivity adjustment.

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Congress ‘must prohibit’ REITs from operating nursing homes, lawmaker says in scathing letter

 Rep. Bobby Rush called for a congressional hearing on the failures of nursing homes during the pandemic and their operating practices as real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Rush, a Democrat from Illinois, sent a letter to Rep. Diana DeGette (D-CO), who chairs the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. He said Congress should prohibit REITs from operating nursing homes or receiving public funding.

He also offered to share his findings from the investigation he launched into the relationship between Ventas, Inc., and its subsidiary, Atria Senior Living Group, in response to “numerous complaints” he has received regarding Atria’s treatment of residents throughout Illinois.

“His office has heard from families and local officials in Illinois about facilities that were not prepared for COVID-19, did not provide adequate personal protective equipment for staff and residents, failed to test residents and staff for COVID-19 until weeks into the pandemic and did not notify families about coronavirus diagnoses or deaths at their facilities,” USA Today reported over the weekend.

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Thank you for reading this week's edition of Weekly Long-Term Care News and Updates, from BASE10. We hope you enjoyed learning about the industry's latest news and findings. To be notified for next week's post, please subscribe to our email newsletter down below.

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About BASE10 Genetics, Inc.
Located in Chicago, BASE10 is a healthcare software technology company whose platform creates turnkey disease management programs that can be deployed at scale for nursing home operators, pharmacies, payors, and self-funded employers.