A report released Monday by the Department of Health andHuman Services (HHS) finds that 94% of America's for-profit nursinghomes have been cited for violating patient care standards.

This is indeed a shocking statistic, suggesting that only 6%of our nursing homes are up to the basic patient care standards on whichfamilies rely.  Unfortunately,the report fails to give any real detail about the factors contributing to thisinadequate care. SEIU Healthcare recognizesthat the nursing home industry's low staffing, poor wages, and highturnover can hurt the quality of care.

Here are some specifics to help you understand how and whystaffing and wages play such an important part in nursing homes and long termcare:

Low staffing hurts care: 

• Nursing home residents received an average of 3.6 hours of care per day in 2007, according to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Online Survey, Certification, and Reporting (OSCAR) database.

• Experts recommended 4.55 hours of nursing care per resident a day to provide quality care.  

• A report prepared by experts for CMS found 4.07 hours of care per resident per day as the threshold below which quality of care was compromised.

Poor wages drive high turnover:

• Certified Nurse Aides (CNAs) provide most of the front-line care in nursing homes, yet in 2007 their median national pay rate was just $10.65 per hour, according to a survey by the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. 

• Because wages for front-line caregivers are low, nursing homes struggle to attract and retain stable, professional staff.

• The American Health Care Association in 2002 reported that in an industry survey, nursing homes experienced a 71.1% annual turnover rate for CNAs, with many facilities facing turnover rates of more than 100%.

• High turnover means experienced, professional caregivers are leaving the field and less-experienced staff are instead taking care of fragile seniors.

SEIU Healthcare is working with nursing home staff,healthcare advocates, policy makers and stakeholders to fix this problem andensure our nursing homes provide quality care and quality jobs.  SEIUHealthcare supports the Nursing Home Transparency and Improvement Act (S. 2461/H.R. 7128) as one step toward making our nursing homes better.

Visit us on the web at http://www.seiu.org/seiuhealthcare/. 

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