March 1, 2024
Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) released a report, Lessons Learned During the Pandemic Can Help Improve Care in Nursing Homes.
COVID-19 had a devastating impact on residents, as nursing homes experienced high infection rates and marked increases in overall mortality. It is critical to learn from this experience and incorporate lessons learned from the pandemic to better protect residents and staff—both as infection rates continue to be high and to prepare for future infectious disease outbreaks.
In this report, the OIG found that nursing homes:
- Experienced monumental and ongoing staffing challenges, including a significant loss of staff and substantial difficulties in hiring, training, and retaining new staff. Many nursing homes used outside staffing agencies, which had significant downsides.
- Struggled with costs, testing protocols, PPE compliance, and vaccination rates.
- Felt challenged with implementing effective infection control practices and identified opportunities for improvement.
OIG made five recommendations to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS):
- Implement and expand upon its policies and programs to strengthen the nursing home workforce.
- Reassess nurse aide training and certification requirements.
- Update the nursing home requirements for infection control to incorporate lessons learned from the pandemic.
- Provide practical guidance and assistance to nursing homes on how to comply with updated infection control requirements.
- Facilitate sharing of strategies and information to help nursing homes overcome challenges and improve care.
CMS did not explicitly state its concurrence or nonconcurrence with the recommendations.