The new Patient-Driven Payment Model was undoubtedly THE major story of 2019 for nursing home operators and other long-term care providers. But it wasn’t the only big thing.
Here’s a quick rundown of the top stories that McKnight’s Long-Term Care News readers gravitated to over the last 12 months.
PDPM’s arrival brings reports of therapist layoffs, cuts
Almost immediately after the big day when the PDPM became effective — Oct. 1, 2019 — reports of therapist layoffs or reassignments began flooding in. It is a dynamic that is still being sorted out, with operators and therapy companies taking different workforce and patient care approaches.
In retrospect, none of it is too surprising, but to the untold number who lost jobs, work hours or assignments, it was an unwelcome jolt and they made their displeasure known.
CMS labels nursing homes with ‘Do not proceed’ icon on website
Federal regulators gave providers just a few weeks to adapt to the idea that a universally recognized open-palm “stop” sign would be placed next to their listings in the consumer-facing Nursing Home Compare website if they had been cited for certain abuse violations.
Regulators stuck to their guns and said instead it is a “warning” sign that, along with website verbiage, is to direct consumers to ask more questions of these facilities, about 5% of the total.
Overflow convention sessions, conference calls and vast media coverage characterized the controversy.
Daughter withdraws $60K from mom’s account and stiffs SNF
Don’t mess with legitimate personal funds that should be used to pay for long-term care seemed to be the unspoken, unanimous feeling of thousands of McKnight’s readers on this one.
CMS allows arbitration agreements, delays some Requirements of Participation
A double-dose of big news came from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on July 16, 2019. Pre-admission arbitration agreements, with major caveats, would be allowed after all, and some parts of the final phase of the Requirements of Participation were being postponed.
The 1–2 punch had enough to keep providers and consumers squawking about both issues and their determinations to this day.
Bills call for nursing home minimum staffing requirements
Workforce issues and shortages remained red hot in 2019 and figure to be center stage in 2020 and beyond. Providers are keeping a close eye on legislation that calls for minimum staffing levels — a tough mandate when some operators say they can’t find enough qualified candidates to even interview, yet alone hire.
Not surprisingly, another of the year’s top stories was nursing aides supporting the call for minimum staffing standards.
Changes to SNF inspections, staffing requirements and new quality measures
Seema Verma’s agency was very active in the skilled nursing sector in 2019, and this story discussed the tightening of the screws on regulations regarding staffing and quality in the weeks ahead. The same issues are ongoing.
Operator to pay $261K for back wages, penalties
Workforce and employment issues again were in focus in September, amid a spate of stories that involved unrelated operators having to pay back wages and/or penalties. Authorities found providers involved with software glitches or downright suspicious practices regarding overtime, meal break or other compensation practices, and the rest of the country took notice.
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Staffing issues, regulatory crackdowns and nursing home closures continued to drive readers’ interests in 2019. And always — always — news, tips or worries about the new Medicare payment model led the way.
Many of the same types of stories are expected to be among the best read in 2020, with other new, hot topics also entering the picture.
