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.
Mario Tama/Getty Images

Feds establish new rules for health care staffing and pay

Apr 24, 2024
The changes aim to bolster pay for providers — many of them low-income immigrants — and require higher minimum staffing levels.
New standards from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services aim to upgrade the pay and services provided by home health aides.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Health care costs were a main driver of inflation in September

Oct 27, 2023
Rising costs for prescriptions and hospital services were felt in latest PCE report, though health inflation has been mild in the past year.
By the end of the decade, health care is expected to account for about a fifth of the U.S. economy.
Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images

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.
Maya Marchel Hoff/Marketplace

How to prepare for the care economy

A new book lays out how to align finances and personal goals so you can enjoy aging.
M.T. Connolly's new book, "The Measure of Our Age," explores how to ensure financial security and emotional wellbeing as we age.
Getty Images

Private equity bought a nursing home, leading to staff cuts and a decline in care

Sep 8, 2022
A new investigation by The New Yorker delves into the acquisition of a Virginia nursing home and what happened next.
A new investigation published in The New Yorker detailed what happened at St. Joseph's Home for the Aged, a nursing home in Richmond, Virginia, after it was acquired by a private equity firm in 2021.
Scott Olson/Getty Images

Nursing homes are in critical need of staff

Jan 11, 2022
Some nursing homes say they can't compete for workers, as fast-food places and other retailers have raised wages.
Ashley Rose (left) and Patsy Wilkerson (right) are occupational therapy assistant who work at Knollwood Manor in Lafayette, Tennessee. They joke that they’re also certified nursing assistant assistants because the nursing home is so short on CNAs they end up picking up many of their duties.
Blake Farmer/WPLN

For public good, not for profit.

Relief and confusion as COVID-19 vaccines reach nursing homes

Dec 23, 2020
The vaccine rollout will be a heavy lift for many homes that have been dealing with outbreaks, equipment shortages and labor challenges.
An 88-year-old nursing home resident in Florida prepares to receive the Pfizer-BioNTech  vaccine.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Pharmacy chains will lead vaccine delivery to seniors in long-term care

Dec 16, 2020
Many of the companies already work with those facilities to supply drugs and provide flu shots for residents.
A man holds his wife's hands through the wall of a plastic "hug tent" outside a Colorado nursing facility. Elderly people in long-term care are prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination.
Rick T. Wilking/Getty Images