A recent study by the San Francisco School of Nursing showed that a California law that raised the reimbursement for nursing home care from $124 per day in 2004 increased to $152 per day in 2006 but the quality of care stayed the same or decreased in some cases. The increase in revenues for the nursing home were utilized by an approximate 20% increase in administrative and staffing costs. The study showed that the average nursing home stay has decreased over the last 5 years for California residents.
The study points out a number of deficiencies in the program and discusses the short-fall in nurse staffing and wages. The study could be considered a self-serving documentary on why the nursing care industry is a growing field and makes the case for greater pay for the nursing profession but it clearly shows that the state of California needs more tax revenue to meet its own standards it sets for itself in the state legislature.
For more information on this study, click here and review the Snapshot of Impact of California’s Medi-Cal Long Term Care Reimbursement Act On Access, Quality, and Costs.
