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Despite minor concessions in a nursing home staffing mandate issued Monday, many providers were stunned by federal regulators’ intractable stance on minimums at a time when nearly all US facilities are confronting labor shortages. ... “RNs are leaving the workforce, leaving the profession and those who are working typically choose to work in environments that are not long-term care,” LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan said in a statement late Monday. “The final rule does not include additional funds to pay RNs comparable or higher wages to work in long-term care.” She noted that this element alone will require an additional 3,267 additional nursing home RNs. “How can providers hire more RNs when they do not exist?” (Marselas, 4/23)

A federal nursing home staffing mandate will siphon workers from assisted living and other long-term care settings, in the long run limiting access to care and services, according to senior living experts reacting to Monday’s issuance of the finalized rule. ... “A federal mandate to hire more workers will not create more workers,” American Seniors Housing Association Vice President of Government Affairs Jeanne McGlynn Delgado told McKnight’s Senior Living. “And without additional funding to subsidize this new requirement, it sets up the system for failure.” (Bonvissuto, 4/23)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Biden Administration Sets Higher Staffing Mandates. Most Nursing Homes Don’t Meet Them

The Biden administration finalized nursing home staffing rules Monday that will require thousands of them to hire more nurses and aides — while giving them years to do so. The new rules from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are the most substantial changes to federal oversight of the nation’s roughly 15,000 nursing homes in more than three decades. But they are less stringent than what patient advocates said was needed to provide high-quality care. (Rau, 4/22)

Vice President Kamala Harris will travel to the political battleground state of Wisconsin on Monday to announce two final rules aimed at improving access to long-term care and ensuring the quality of care-giving jobs, a White House official said. The White House said Monday's announcements finalized two rules first announced in September as part of U.S. President Joe Biden's pledge to crack down on nursing homes that endanger resident safety, and to improve access to high-quality care. (Shalal, 4/22)

A research letter published today in JAMA Network Open suggests that US states and territories that had more policies aimed at reducing COVID-19 rates in nursing homes (NHs) and home healthcare agencies (HHAs) didn't necessarily have a lower burden of the disease. "For example, on May 24, 2020, Montana, Hawaii, and Alaska had no COVID-19 deaths or policies, in contrast with North Carolina's moderate burden and several policies," the researchers wrote. "By January 12, 2021, New York had a severe COVID-19 burden and the greatest number of policies, while Pennsylvania, Montana, and Florida had a similar COVID-19 burden but fewer policies." (Van Beusekom, 4/22)

A Knoxville nursing facility owes former residents, their representatives and the state of Tennessee more than $250,000 in overcharges, according to an investigation from the Tennessee Comptroller’s office. The facility, Creekview Health and Rehabilitation, reportedly “failed to manage and promptly refund accounts” for 81 residents, totaling $265,671.42. The office said the errors came about mostly because Creekview did not properly log expenses, something the center claims to have addressed. (Morgan-Rumsey, 4/22)