“New York AG: Nursing Home COVID Deaths Undercounted by 50%, ‘Low Staffing Model Simply Snapped’,” by Alex Spanko, Skilled Nursing News

Quote:

“The attorney general of New York State on Thursday released a blistering report suggesting that COVID-19 deaths in the state’s nursing homes may have been undercounted by as much as 50%, while also describing an already insufficient staffing model collapsing under the pressure of the pandemic. … The report in particular called out for-profit facilities for maintaining low staffing levels prior to the pandemic, noting that 280 of the 401 for-profit facilities in the state had the lowest possible staffing ratings from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — with those facilities accounting for more than half of COVID-19 resident deaths through mid-November.”

 

LTC Comment, Stephen A. Moses, President, Center for Long-Term Care Reform:

What the report should have called out is Medicaid census. For-profit facilities tend to have more Medicaid residents at below cost reimbursement than non-for-profit facilities which also have philanthropic funding. Bottom line, relying on government funding of long-term care is deadly. Are you listening, analysts who want to turn LTC over to Medicare or some other social insurance gimmick?