- First-Ever Nurse Staffing Standard – But Staffing Discussion Isn’t over
For Immediate Release
April 22, 2024The Biden-Harris Administration is releasing the first-ever nurse staffing standard for nursing facilities today, implementing the Administration’s commitment to improving quality of care and quality of life for nursing home residents nationwide. The final staffing rule reflects one of the many provisions in the Administration’s comprehensive nursing home reform agenda, which President Biden first announced in 2022 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic, which resulted in the deaths of more than 200,000 residents and staff members, brought to public attention what the White House described as the “poor, sub-standard care that leads to avoidable resident harm” in too many facilities. The Administration recognized the need for major change.
The final rule requires all nursing homes to employ registered nurses around the clock, seven days a week, reflecting a recommendation that has been made by experts for decades. The provision is critical to improving resident care when residents can need nursing attention at any time, day or night.
Center for Medicare Advocacy Senior Policy Attorney Toby S. Edelman said about the staffing rule released today, “The staffing rule describes the minimum permissible staffing levels that nursing homes must meet and will require significant changes in the most poorly staffed facilities in the country. However, the rule does not end the discussion about staffing levels. Under federal rules issued earlier, all facilities are also required to conduct, at least annually, a facility assessment. This process requires each facility (1) to determine the actual nursing needs of its own residents and (2) to ensure that it has enough staff and that its staff have the necessary skills to meet its residents’ needs. Properly implemented and enforced, the facility assessment process will require many facilities to implement higher staffing levels than the minimums announced today.”
The Center for Medicare Advocacy (the Center) is a national, non-profit, law organization that works to advance access to comprehensive Medicare coverage, health equity, and quality health care for older people and people with disabilities. Founded in 1986, the Center focuses on the needs of people with longer-term and chronic conditions. The organization’s work includes legal assistance, advocacy, education, analysis, policy initiatives, and litigation of importance to Medicare beneficiaries nationwide. Our systemic advocacy is based on the experiences of the real people who contact the Center every day. Headquartered in Connecticut and Washington, DC, the Center also has attorneys in CA and MA.
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