Most U.S. nursing homes will need to add staffing under a federal rule announced Monday that for the first time sets minimum staffing ratios nationwide for homes that care for elderly and disabled people.
The rule, announced Monday by Vice President Kamala Harris, mandates that nursing homes meet minimum staffing requirements for registered nurses and nurse aides. The rule is intended to limit cases of resident neglect or delays in care, a lingering issue that was exposed when more than 200,000 nursing home residents and staff died from COVID-19 in the first two years of the pandemic.
Experts call the rule a significant step toward bolstering nursing home quality and safety.
“This is the most important nursing home reform in decades,” said David Grabowski, a professor of health care policy at Harvard Medical School. “We need more staff in nursing homes. This is a big development in terms of setting a floor such that nursing homes can’t grossly understaff facilities.”
Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of the nursing home industry group American Health Care Association, blasted the rule as “unconscionable” given the nation’s nursing shortage.
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Article URL : https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/health/2024/04/22/biden-rule-nursing-home-staffing-ratios/73409700007/