Mandated minimum staffing would cost nursing homes $10 billion annually

Providers would have to spend an additional $10 billion more per year and hire more than 187,000 new workers to meet requirements of one possible federal minimum staffing approach, according to a new analysis.

The findings prove that nursing homes would need “substantial and consistent government resources” to comply with the regulations, the nation’s largest nursing home association said.

“Every staffing minimum scenario we analyzed found that tens of thousands of additional full-time employees as well as billions of dollars each year would be necessary in order for nursing homes to be in compliance,” said Deb Emerson, principal at CliftonLarsenAllen. “Many facilities will have to make difficult decisions, such as reducing census, to meet the proposed staffing minimums.”