|
||||||||
Nation's Nursing Homes Badly Understaffed Pneumonia, life-threatening blood infections, congestive heart failure, and dehydration are among the problems suffered by residents of U.S. nursing homes because of a severe shortage of qualified staff. According to a recent government study, more than half of all nursing homes, 56%, were below the minimum requirement for total licensed staff and two thirds, 67%, were below the minimum requirement for Registered Nurses. Nursing homes blame payments cuts required by the 1997 Balanced Budget Act, but it is state Medicaid programs, not Medicare, that cover the majority of nursing home costs. Some members of Congress, including Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Charles Grassley (R-IA), say nursing homes should be required to hire more staff to get Medicare payment increases from Congress. Both Congress and President Clinton are expected to approve raising Medicare payments to nursing homes, hospitals, home health care providers and Health Maintenance Organizations before the end of this legislation session. Source: "Nursing Home Residents: Short-changed By Staff Shortages, Part II, Testimony of Andrew Kramer, M.D. Professor of Geriatric Medicine, Research Director, Center on Aging, University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and Testimony of Nancy-Ann Min DeParle, Administrator, Health Care Financing Administration, Before the Senate Special Committee On Aging, July 27, 2000. "U.S. Senator Wants Nursing Home Medicare Pay Tied To Staffing," Bloomberg News, July 27, 2000. This article first appeared in Volume 6, Issue 1 of "The Social Security and Medicare Advisor" newsletter (November/2000). To receive future editions of "The Advisor" in its special, free e-mail version, please click here. | ||||||||
|
|
||||||||
