Nursing home staffing incentives are coming into play while at least one attempt to stall the federal nursing home staffing mandate has hit a snag.
Earlier this month, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) opened a grant opportunity to help staff facilities throughout the country.
Days later, Skilled Nursing News reported that a U.S. district court judge found the lawsuit brought by 20 states opposing the mandate “failed to demonstrate that a preliminary injunction is necessary.”
The mandate, issued in April 2024, requires long-term care facilities to meet minimum staffing requirements including having a registered nurse (RN) on-site 24/7. At the time of the announcement, CMS stated that adequate staffing is “essential” to provide safe, high-quality care:
“CMS received and considered more than 46,000 public comments on this rule from various stakeholders, including residents and their family members, workers, advocates, and the industry. Many of these comments highlighted how –without sufficient staff – residents do not receive necessary care including baths or trips to the bathroom, and experience preventable safety events, such as pressure ulcers and falls.”
At least three lawsuits have been filed in response, all alleging it violates the Administrative Procedures Act.
