Senate Finance Committee hearing focuses on nursing home abuse

…Staffing, reimbursement are ongoing challenges

Issues of staffing, quality and funding, particularly Medicaid reimbursement, were addressed by David Grabowski, Ph.D., a professor at the Harvard Medical School and David Gifford, M.D., who heads up quality and regulatory affairs for the American Health Care Association. Answering a question from Wyden, Grabowski predicted more closings of rural nursing homes due to low Medicaid reimbursement. Nursing homes can’t afford to pay people more, and there are few people in rural areas who want these minimum-wage jobs, he told the committee.

He cited a recent New York Times article on rural nursing home closures as a preview of what’s to come unless Congress acts to shore up reimbursements