AHA, AHCA Issue Joint Letter to CMS Outlining Staffing Mandate Concerns

The American Hospital Association (AHA) and American Health Care Association (AHCA) sent a joint letter to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Monday expressing their concerns about the proposed federal staffing mandate.

“We anticipate many nursing homes will be forced to further reduce their capacity and even close their doors if they are unable to meet these staffing mandates,” the letter stated. “This would accelerate the domino effect across the entire continuum of care and leave vulnerable seniors with fewer care options.”

“Furthermore, mandating staffing levels is a simplistic, one-size-fits-all approach to the needs of complex and unique nursing home residents and patients,” the letter stated. “In short, specific staffing levels should be a clinical decision customized to the resident population and facility characteristics rather than a policy decision made with lack of regard to real-life situations.”