ElderWeb

HR 1436, Nurse Reinvestment Act of 2001 has been introduced by Rep Lois Capps, and is co-sponsored by 84 other representatives. Among other things, the bill proposes to address the nursing shortage by increasing the federal Medicaid match to help pay for nurse training programs, establishing a "National Nurse Service Corps," that would pay for the nursing education of candidates who commit to working in a nursing facility or other health care facility with staff shortages, and establishing federal grants to allow nursing facility employees to pursue gerontology degrees or certificates.

The American Health Care Association (AHCA), a trade association of for-profit nursing homes and long term care facilities, has issued a report on the nursing shortage in long term care. They refer to studies that show a significant discrepancy between pay rates for nursing staff in acute care (hospital) and long term care settings, and attribute the difference largely to the fact that most nursing home care is paid for by Medicaid and Medicare.

They estimate that the cost to increase nurse staffing to levels proposed by some pending regulations and legislation would cost an additional $3 billion to over $15 billion over current staffing levels, at the same time that facilities are unable to find sufficient staff to even meet current minimum requirements.

The American Nurses Association (ANA) has identified ten nursing-sensitive indicators of quality of care in non-acute care settings like long term care and home care. They are hoping to explore the relationship of nurse staffing and quality of patient care as they further develop these indicators. They are looking at pain management, consistency of communication, staff mix, client satisfaction, prevention of tobacco use, cardiovascular prevention, caregiver activity, identification of primary caregiver, psychosocial interaction, and activities of daily living.