New federal rule on minimum staffing for nursing homes takes effect

Apr 24, 2024
Until now, the only staffing rule for nursing homes has been that they have “sufficient” staff, without specifying what that means.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is putting $75 million toward getting more nurses to work in nursing homes.
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As the need for nursing homes grows, nurses are in short supply

Oct 25, 2023
The government wants to set staffing standards at nursing homes, but the industry says there are too few nurses to allow it to comply.
Nursing home resident Nancy Hoover with Joan Strassner, a licensed practical nurse. Strassner likes to sing with residents but is often swamped with work due to tight staffing.
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At this rural hospital, staffing shortages and telehealth visits have become standard

May 10, 2023
The pandemic changed tech and personnel matters, says surgeon Eric Henderson. But the empathy required and the lovely setting remain the same.
Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, where Dr. Eric Henderson works. "The greatest things about living where we live are also the things which make practicing medicine here the most difficult," he says.
Courtesy Dr. Eric Henderson

As the pandemic continues, demand for travel nurses is up. Pay keeps rising, too.

Jan 4, 2021
Hospitals compete for these skilled personnel, some of whom make $8,000 a week. But the work is difficult and there can be tension with colleagues.
A nurse cares for a COVID-19 patient at a hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, on Dec. 4, 2020.
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