Medicare: additional reporting on key staffing information and stronger payment incentives needed for skilled nursing facilities : report to Congressional requesters
- Collection:
- Health Policy and Services Research
- Contributor(s):
- United States. Government Accountability Office. issuing body. United States. Congress. issuing body.
- Publication:
- Washington, DC : United States Government Accountability Office, July 2021
- Language(s):
- English
- Format:
- Text
- Subject(s):
- Government Regulation Health Workforce -- standards Medicare -- economics Skilled Nursing Facilities -- standards United States Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (U.S.)
- Genre(s):
- Technical Report
- Abstract:
- Why GAO did this study. In 2019, Medicare spent nearly $28 billion on care provided to 1.5 million beneficiaries in SNFs—a type of nursing facilty that provides residents short-term rehabilitation care after a hospital stay rather than long-term nursing home care that Medicare does not cover. SNFs must meet federal standards to participate in Medicare. CMS rates SNFs on factors such as staffing and quality of care and publishes its ratings on the Care Compare website. GAO was asked to examine SNF staffing and rates of critical incidents. This report examines (among other objectives): SNF performance on staffing measures, CMS reporting of staffing information on Care Compare, and Medicare payments for critical incidents. GAO analyzed CMS staffing and critical incidents data, information on Care Compare, and Medicare claims data for 2018 and 2019. GAO also interviewed CMS officials and other stakeholders such as key researchers and beneficiary groups. What GAO recommends. Congress should consider directing the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to implement appropriate payment reductions for SNFs that generate Medicare spending on potentially preventable critical incidents. GAO is making three recommendations, including that CMS report more staffing information on Care Compare. HHS agreed to report weekend decreases in nurse staffing levels, but did not agree to report minimum nurse staffing thresholds needed to ensure quality of care. GAO continues to believe both are important, as discussed in the report.
- Copyright:
- The National Library of Medicine believes this item to be in the public domain. (More information)
- Extent:
- 1 online resource (1 PDF file (iv, 56 pages))
- Illustrations:
- Illustrations
- NLM Unique ID:
- 9918317488306676 (See catalog record)
- Permanent Link:
- http://resource.nlm.nih.gov/9918317488306676