Washington, DC – In outlining a variety of strategies to successfully develop America’s long term care workforce today before the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging, The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) said adequate governmental financing will remain a key factor in the ability of providers to meet the rising demand for care among a progressively older, higher acuity patient population.
“We are committed to partnering with Congress, the Administration, and other long term care stakeholders to ensure a qualified and well-trained staff is in place to care for our nation’s elderly and disabled today – and in the coming years when the current crisis will hit epidemic proportions unless government intervenes,” stated Bruce Yarwood, President and CEO of AHCA/NCAL. “As nearly 70 percent of skilled nursing operating costs are labor-related, ongoing funding shortfalls have a major negative impact on the front lines of care.”
Yarwood warned that when the federal government repeatedly proposes drastic Medicare cuts for the care of our nation’s elderly in skilled nursing facilities, providers are far less able to recruit and retain qualified direct care workers and health care professionals, modernize and refurbish aging physical plants and equipment, acquire and implement new technology – initiatives that are critical to meeting the increasingly complex care needs of our aging population.
“AHCA/NCAL is gravely concerned about the forthcoming Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Rule regarding fiscal year 2009 Medicare payments for skilled nursing facilities,” Yarwood continued. “This anticipated proposed rule is likely to contain a regulatory change that will drastically reduce Medicare funds for the nursing and rehabilitation care of seniors in America’s nursing facilities – by $720 million in FY 2009 and $4.7 billion over five years.”
“America’s long term care system is currently suffering from a chronic supply and demand problem when it comes to our labor force,” he stated. “Addressing this challenge on both fronts is the only real means to sustain the provision of high quality long term care.”
While applauding the Institute of Medicine (IOM) for addressing critical workforce issues in their new report, “Retooling for an Aging America: Building the Health Care Workforce,” Yarwood said “the report does not go far enough in addressing all of the underlying complexities unique to long term care.”
Yarwood offered a variety of recommendations for the Aging panel’s consideration:
- Create a broad long term care workforce commission of committed stakeholders, including national long term care organizations, nursing and professional caregiver groups, colleges and universities, nurse educators, and state and federal policy makers to support and encourage development of national policies and programs specifically addressing the long term caregiver shortage;
- Adopt critical components of the Long Term Care Quality and Modernization Act of 2007 that would require joint training and education of surveyors and providers and amend current law to allow nursing facilities to resume their nurse aide training program when deficiencies that resulted in the prohibition of the training have been corrected and compliance has been demonstrated;
- Increase federal funding for training and development programs, which would enable all sectors of long term care – regardless of tax status – to attract and retain a highly-trained, compassionate workforce;
- The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and other federal agencies should expand support for research on health care and long term caregiver and nursing workforce issues and solutions;
- Encourage and further develop appropriate leadership training programs, funded by state and federal governments, which will enhance leadership skills and competencies of long term care professionals in management positions.
- Develop ongoing funding from the state and local workforce investment boards (WIBs) to support partnerships and initiatives to improve recruitment and retention of the long term workforce. These activities may include CNA training, the development of career ladders, expansion of continuing education for long term care employees, and the promotion of interest in long term care careers.
“We all agree that not only do consumers deserve the highest quality care and services across the spectrum of health care settings, but also employees deserve well-paid, positive work environments,” Yarwood concluded. “As the profession responsible for the care of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens, we are proud of the advances we have made in delivering high quality long term care services and we remain committed to sustaining these gains in the years and decades ahead.”
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (NCAL) represent nearly 11,000 non-profit and proprietary facilities dedicated to continuous improvement in the delivery of professional and compassionate care provided daily by millions of caring employees to 1.5 million of our nation's frail, elderly and disabled citizens who live in nursing facilities, assisted living residences, subacute centers and homes for persons with mental retardation and developmental disabilities. For more information, please visit www.ahca.org or www.ncal.org.