The minimum staffing cloud looms. Will any sunlight shine through?

As the leaves start to fall in many parts of the US, so has something else: Hope that a rule establishing minimum staffing levels in nursing homes won’t happen in spring.

It’s become abundantly clear over the past few months that the administration will not be deterred from its mission. It will soon tell nursing facilities how many people they have to have to run their businesses. 

By coming up with a plan and giving it a test-run — hopefully in a state that can give a meaningful look at numerous dimensions of any proposal — both regulator and provider camps could learn a lot. Like what to stay away from, as well as what not to fear.