Montana nursing homes: ‘No one sees real relief in sight’
An administrative rule that would mandate staffing minimums for nursing homes nationwide will have dire impacts on facilities in Montana, multiple providers told the Montana State News Bureau.
U.S. Sen. Jon Tester, the Montana Democrat up for reelection this year, has been a leading voice in the opposition to the rule change, despite it coming from a White House run by a president of his own party.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid finalized a plan in April that requires nursing homes to meet minimum levels of front-line caregivers or else pay fines. All homes that receive federal dollars through Medicare and Medicaid must provide 3.48 hours of nursing care per resident per day. Of those, at least three must be provided by registered nurses and nursing aides. Nursing homes will also be required to have a registered nurse on staff 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Read the full story from The Independent Record here.
