Several news stories from this past year will continue to impact workforce issues moving into 2019. Among them: the announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) about the new Patient-Driven Payment Model, which will use more standardized items for payment calculations; close to 1,400 nursing homes lost star ratings due to new staffing information; and a study suggested that nursing homes are pushing residents into unnecessary rehab at end of life. Elsewhere, CMS added five new quality-related measures to Nursing Home Compare, increasing pressure on facilities to address pressure ulcers, falls, and beneficiary spending. Read the full article.
