Healthcare staffing shortages are taking a toll on nursing homes across New York State. In the Finger Lakes region alone, more than 1,200 nursing home beds cannot be utilized due to the lack of staff to care for patients. This has resulted in a crisis-level backlog of patients in hospitals, where they sit for hours waiting for a bed.
A majority of nursing home patients in New York State rely on Medicaid to cover the cost of their stay. However, nursing home facilities claim that the daily rate provided by Medicaid no longer covers the costs of care. “There has been essentially no increase in the Medicaid reimbursement rate for 15 years, inflationary costs over that time have increased 42%,” Lisa Marcello told News10NBC. She’s the Vice President of Episcopal Senior Life.
Currently, healthcare providers receive only 61 cents on the dollar for the care they provide to Medicaid patients.
In the Finger Lakes region, the inability to staff nursing home beds has resulted in a crisis-level backlog of patients in hospitals.
Governor Kathy Hochul has proposed a 5% increase in the reimbursement rate in the new state budget. While this is the largest proposed increase in nearly two decades, healthcare leaders argue that it is not enough. State Senator Samra Brouk has called for a 20% rate increase in this year’s budget to ensure that all members of the community have access to the care they need.
As the Finger Lakes region continues to grapple with the nursing home bed shortage and healthcare staffing crisis, healthcare leaders and lawmakers are pushing for more significant changes to ensure that patients receive the care they need.
FingerLakes1.com is the region’s leading all-digital news publication. The company was founded in 1998 and has been keeping residents informed for more than two decades. Have a lead? Send it to [email protected]