NURSING HOMES: HHS Recommends Strict New Staffing Rules

      Warning that "patients may be endangered," HHS officials have concluded that most U.S. n ursing homes lack proper staffing and have recommended stringent new rules that would require thousands of homes to hire more nurses and health aides, the New York Times reports. According to a 200,000-word report prepared by the agency, nursing home understaffing has contributed to an increase in cases of severe bedsores, malnutrition and abnormal weight loss among residents, leaving many hospitalized for "life- threatening" infections, dehydration, congestive heart failure and other preventable ailments. The study recommends "substantial increases" in staff to ensure patient safety. While federal researchers claim that the proposed staffing increases are necessary to protect patients, nursing homes called the recommendations "unrealistic," criticizing the government for specifying minimum levels of staff while providing "inadequate" payments under Medicaid and Medicare. Nursing home officials also argued that they could not "attract and retain good workers in a booming economy." In addition, the American Health Care Association refused to back the "minimum staffing ratios" proposed by HHS unless the government helped to defray the additional costs, which could tally several billion dollars per year. HHS will send the report to Congress later this month, capping an eight-year investigation (Pear, 7/23).