Parkinson: Nursing home sector pinning hopes on ‘Medicaid adequacy’ rule

After characterizing business conditions as “never worse,” the skilled nursing sector’s top advocate said stakeholders need more help from both the federal and state governments to forge a viable path forward. 

The solution could lie in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services universally demanding that states prop up Medicaid payments, said Mark Parkinson, the president and CEO of the American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living, during a media briefing Tuesday at the group’s annual meeting.

“CMS has talked about really putting some teeth into its authority to require states to pay an adequate amount of Medicaid — for all healthcare providers, not just skilled nursing facilities. In far too many states right now, the reimbursement for Medicaid is dramatically less than the actual cost of taking care of people in nursing facilities,” he said.