The group representing professionals in health care working in nursing home facilities is calling on the federal government to help alleviate potential industry cutbacks by slowly phasing in new regulations in Medicare funding. The Alliance for Quality Nursing Home Care said that the 11.1% funding reduction could result in the loss of 20,000 workers who have a nursing degree on their resume and other critical front line personnel, as well as stifle future job creation by the approximately 400 nursing homes that had expected to expand or renovate their facilities. Alan G. Rosenbloom, president of the Alliance, said the new changes were implemented too quickly. "Recent changes in Medicare payments for skilled nursing facilities took too much out of the funding system too fast, and did so at a time of significant underfunding of state Medicaid program payments for nursing home care," Rosenbloom noted. More than 70% of all patients in nursing home facilities rely on Medicare funding for their care. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities for registered nurses are expected to be excellent, growing by 22% through the end of the decade. |