COLUMBUS – Ohio lawmakers are considering legislation that could send hundreds of millions in extra funds to Ohio’s nursing home industry – a political powerhouse that says its facilities are underwater.Industry officials say the money is desperately needed to ensure quality of care as nursing homes deal with rising labor costs, pandemic-driven increases in costs of care, supply chain snarls, and staffing shortfalls.
While most homes struggled with outbreaks, regulatory inspections show more than three dozen Ohio facilities allegedly. Inspectors alleged poor standards of care and infection control preceded more than 80 resident deaths around the state from COVID-19. The quality-of-care incentives in current law have been weak, said Roger King, a lobbyist with the Academy of Senior Health Sciences, which represents about 150 facilities. But he said homes have been underfunded for 15 years, which yields substandard care. Proper funding and new, more “meaningful” incentives, he said, would produce better-quality nursing homes. They might not cover every gap exposed during the pandemic, but they’re a step in the right direction.
“We have not seen this kind of an inflationary environment in 40 years, so we need rates to react to the costs changes. Our members are seriously upside-down,” he said. An AARP spokesman said the organization supports any legislation that increases nursing home funding, which often precedes better quality. But Erin Pettegrew, a deputy in the state long term care ombudsman’s office, said complaints from residents are still coming in frequently and she’d like more information about the financial status of the facilities before backing more funding.
“We’re going to be left out, and people will not have those options,” she said. “They’ll either be forced to decide to live in a nursing home because there’s no other option, or they stay at home without help and possibly wind up in a hospital.”
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