I Can’t Hear You!

I sometimes hear my husband shout, “I can’t hear you,” when I attempt to share a vital message when he is distracted or operating noisy machinery. With a chuckle, I reply, “That is fair, but you heard well enough to respond.” I felt like this is what happened upon returning from a trip to Washington D.C. for a Leading Age Leadership Summit. Several senior living representatives from organizations large and small attempted to share with lawmakers and the Biden Administration officials the hardships the proposed CMS staffing rule will have on long-term care providers.  For those that are not familiar with the rule, feel free to check it out at: Medicare and Medicaid Programs: Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting Final Rule (CMS 3442-F) | CMS

This rule will require minimum hourly staffing thresholds for nursing facilities along with requiring Registered Nurses 24 hours/day, seven days per week. While this sounds wonderful in a perfect world, our current world with the shortage of registered nurses does not support this unrealistic and unfunded legislation. I left Washington, D.C., feeling hopeful and heard. Ironically, this rule left me wondering why they didn’t hear us.  Maybe, if collectively, we all raise our voices together to break through whatever “noise” is distracting lawmakers from making decisions, the outcomes will be a more inclusive process that benefits our Seniors and Communities. This rule will create hardships for some who are not compliant and could jeopardize access to long-term care. Please join me in contacting our Federal and State Legislators and asking them to fund this new rule and preserve access to long-term care.

Kris Jacobson,  LNHA, LALD, MBA
JMHS CEO