Nursing home officials say they are over-regulated

[cougarnurse]

From the Iowa Globe Gazette. Ain't this the truth! GlobeGazette.com

MASON CITY — An employee at an Iowa nursing home was helping a patient get to the bathroom when a buzzer went off in another room, signaling that someone needed help.

If the aide left one patient to tend to the other and the first patient fell, her name could be placed on a registry that would prevent her from ever getting another job in her chosen profession.

That’s the dilemma that nursing home administrators and staffers face every day because of overzealous regulations of the Department of Inspections and Appeals, according to Steve Ackerson, executive director of the Iowa Health Care Association.

“It’s almost like a Salem witch hunt, like the department is trying to show everyone it is doing its job,” he said.

Ackerson was among health care professionals who conducted a forum for state legislators and legislative candidates Monday at the Kentucky Ridge assisted living center.

Over-regulating of care centers, low Medicaid reimbursement and closings of facilities dominated talk at the two-hour session.

Care center administrators from throughout North Iowa attended. Some told horror stories of trying to defend competent employees who the state tried to reprimand for minor infractions.

“We were cited for having too many crumbs in our toaster one morning,” said one administrator.

“We spent thousands of dollars in legal fees defending a great employee who the state wanted to put on the registry,” said another.

State Rep. Linda Upmeyer, R-Garner, who is also a nurse, said, “I wouldn’t put my license on the line the way things are now. If people have crazy little infractions, fix them. That’s what Iowans want.

“You can look for the bad guys and help the good guys at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive,” she said.

Upmeyer said the over-regulating of care facilities is not only going to drive people out of the profession but prevent others from entering it.

“We’ve regulated it to death. Access is going to be a huge, huge issue,” she said.

Ackerson said access is also going to be an issue because of Iowa’s poor Medicaid reimbursement rate, now 48th in the nation.

Iowa’s rate of reimbursement is $120.13 per patient per day. Only Illinois and Texas have lower rates. By comparison, Delaware has the highest rate, $225.23.

Three nursing homes have closed in the last month and others are on the brink, said Ackerson. Ottumwa Manor in Ottumwa, Nelson Nursing Home in Fairfield and Paullina Care Center in Paullina have all closed because their Medicaid census was too high, he said.

“When places like this close, there aren’t a whole lot of other places saying ‘we’ll take ’em,’ because everyone has the same problem,” said Ackerson.

The presentation was an eye-opener to the legislative candidates on hand.

Scott Tornquist, Republican candidate for the Iowa House 13 seat said, “This is the most depressing presentation I’ve ever been to,” and pledged his help if elected.

Sharon Steckman, Democratic candidate for the same seat, said, “We should be hearing about new homes opening. Instead we’re hearing about closings.”

Steckman, a retired teacher, said the regulations reminded her of the No Child Left Behind regulations in education.

“You have to do this and this and this — when you should be helping,” she said.