For the first time, the U.S. will reward nursing homes for controlling the spread of infectious disease

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Thu, 2020-12-10 11:03 — mike kraft

For the first time, the U.S. will reward nursing homes for controlling the spread of infectious disease For years, nursing homes have been shaped by federal incentives, which pay for extra services but haven't paid for measures that would combat the spread of disease. That left them acutely vulnerable to covid-19. Now, the incentives are changing. Will Englund Washington Post

More than 9,000 nursing homes have been able to show progress in controlling the novel coronavirus infection, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, and will share $523 million in incentive payments as a reward, starting Wednesday.

The emergency spending plan marks a departure for Medicare and Medicaid, which pay for the majority of nursing home residents, in tying financial incentives to infection-control measures for the first time.

Over the years, the nursing home business has been shaped by extra fees for services performed — such as therapy, dialysis or care for diabetes — but with none for defending against infectious disease. Nursing home operators emphasized those services, often gaming the system to maximize income, while typically squeezing expenses devoted to standard nursing care. A Washington Post analysis last month found that this practice had left nursing homes acutely vulnerable to covid-19.

About 100,000 residents and employees of long-term-care facilities have died of the illness, as nursing homes were caught without the resources and in many cases the staff training to stop its spread. ...

ALSO SEE: Beleaguered nursing homes prepare for monumental task of vaccinating residents and staff

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