How Will Proposed Funding Cuts Impact LTC Facilities?
President Obama will soon reveal the federal budget for the 2012 fiscal year, and with it may come steep funding cuts to state Medicare and Medicaid programs. According to a recent study conducted by the Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care, the president’s proposed cuts would significantly affect healthcare workers in the skilled nursing sector.
Senior care in particular would see some of the biggest changes, given that long-term care facilities treat half of all Medicare patients released into post-acute care following hospital stays. The majority of elderly adults typically stay for a short time in order to receive necessary restorative and recuperative therapies.
Emil Parker, Director of Avalere Health, LLC and lead author of the study, described how many long-term care facilities have responded to more recent cuts by postponing important building and equipment maintenance as well as delaying payments to vendors. He states, “Given that the average age of nursing home facilities in the United States is 29 years, delays in maintenance may negatively affect residents’ quality of life.”
Parker added that if these facilities cannot be properly maintained and patients experience delays in transfer, they may end up spending more time in costly acute care hospitals.