Vast Majority of US Nursing Homes Fall Short of Meeting Minimal Staffing Requirements, According to Recent Regulations.

A recent analysis by USA Today has found that nearly all nursing homes in the US fail to meet the minimum staffing requirements set forth by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The analysis, which used payroll-based journal data from last August, showed that only 160 out of 14,500 skilled nursing facilities met the new requirements during the summer quarter of 2023. Furthermore, most nursing homes met the requirements on only three days out of a total of 92.

The CMS rule requires nursing homes to have a minimum of 3.48 hours per resident per day (HPRD) of total staffing, with specific allocations for registered nurses (RN) and nurse aides. However, according to the analysis, about 50% of federally funded facilities were able to provide at least 0.55 hours of care from an RN daily, while facilities were only able to provide each resident with 2.45 hours of care from a CNA on one day per week.

The gap in meeting staffing requirements was found to be significantly wider in many Southern states, with Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Texas performing the worst. In contrast, states such as Alaska, Hawaii, Utah, Maine, and Delaware fared better in meeting the total minimum staffing standard. The article notes that rural counties have five years to implement the minimum staffing standards, while urban areas are allowed up to three years.

The findings of this analysis highlight a significant challenge facing nursing homes across the US, particularly those in Southern states. The CMS rule is intended to ensure that residents receive adequate care and attention from qualified staff, but it appears that many facilities have a long way to go in terms of meeting these requirements.