America’s Hospitals, Nursing Homes Send Joint Letter To CMS Urging Against Unfunded Staffing Mandates

For Immediate Release

April 3, 2023

Contact:

AHA: Colin Milligan, cmilligan@aha.org

AHCA: AHCAPressOffice@ahca.org

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Hospital Association (AHA) and the American Health Care Association (AHCA), the largest associations representing America’s hospitals and nursing homes, respectively, sent a joint letter today to Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), outlining concerns with a federal staffing mandate for nursing homes. CMS is planning to issue a federal staffing minimum for nursing homes this year.

In the letter, AHA and AHCA describe how the current labor shortage is forcing many nursing homes to limit admissions, which is having a ripple effect on the entire health care system. Hospital patients ready to be discharged to post-acute care are waiting days, weeks, or even months to find a spot at a skilled nursing facility. The two organizations warn that a federal staffing mandate for nursing homes would accelerate this access to care crisis for America’s seniors and exacerbate capacity issues for hospitals.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all mandate, AHA and AHCA are requesting that the Biden Administration and Congress focus on investing in recruitment and retention programs that will bolster the health care workforce. The letter includes several policy solutions. 

Read the full letter here. 

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ABOUT THE AMERICAN HOSPITAL ASSOCIATION

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other health care organizations, our clinician partners – including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers – and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org. 

ABOUT AHCA/NCAL

The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) represents more than 14,000 non-profit and proprietary skilled nursing centers, assisted living communities, sub-acute centers, and homes for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. By delivering solutions for quality care, AHCA/NCAL aims to improve the lives of the millions of frail, elderly and individuals with disabilities who receive long term or post-acute care in our member facilities each day. For more information, please visit www.ahcancal.org.