In April 2024, CMS issued the Minimum Staffing Standards for Long-Term Care Facilities and Medicaid Institutional Payment Transparency Reporting final rule which established new minimum nurse staffing requirements for nursing homes by nurse type. This brief uses Nursing Home Care Compare Data from May 2024 to examine current staffing levels in US nursing homes relative to specific minimum staffing requirements in the final rule. Using an illustrative example of a 100-bed facility, we examine how many nurse staff would need to be added per shift over the next several years during the final rule’s implementation phase in order to staff at or above the final rule's minimum HPRD requirements, and to provide at least 24 hours of registered nurse (RN) care.
This brief was compiled and summarized by the HHS/ASPE Office of Behavioral Health, Disability, and Aging Policy (BHDAP). Additional research in this area is available at the ASPE Aging & Disability page, Long-Term Services & Supports/Long-Term Care page, and Policy & Regulation page.
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