A national coalition’s report says one-fourth of Kansas’ 300 nursing homes were categorized as problem facilities due to substandard care and persistent compliance issues.
The Long-Term Care Community Coalition’s latest summary, based on the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ five-star quality rating system, showed 24.6% of nursing facilities in the United States were designated “problem facilities” after receiving a one-star rating. In Kansas, 25.2% of nursing homes had that lowly score based on inspection reports, staffing levels and other quality measures. Eight facilities in the three-county area served by The Active Age currently have one-star ratings.
Dan Goodman, executive director of Kansas Advocates for Better Care, called it a “really bleak picture. “Particularly we’re concerned with the lack of staffing at these facilities. Kansas currently ranks 46th in the nation as far as staffing long-term care facilities compared to other states. The amount of staffing in those facilities directly impacts the overall care that residents receive.”
Goodman said there was an unsettling correlation between low staffing levels and the frequency in use of medications to control nursing home residents. Those drugs could be detrimental to the health and quality of life for elderly people, he said.
He said staffing shortages in long-term care facilities also contributed to failure to deliver routine care, including basics of brushing teeth or using the restroom, and could extend to frequency of dangerous falls as well as premature death.
Federal staffing mandate
There’s disagreement about how to improve nursing homes.
In April, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, also known as CMS, published a rule that would reform long-term nursing care facilities serving 1.2 million residents across the country. The agency order would increase the required staff-to-resident ratio, mandate a registered nurse be on site 24 hours per day and expand regulations related to assessments of the facilities.
The requirements, to be implemented over a three-year period, prioritized safety and health care quality while taking into consideration workforce challenges some facilities may experience, especially those in rural areas. The rules on overall staffing would take effect in 2026 for urban facilities and in 2027 for rural facilities.
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, a Kansas Republican, has sought to reverse the new long-term care regulations embraced by the administration of President Joe Biden. Marshall, who is a physician, said the regulations were “unnecessary” and would lead to closures of nursing homes in Kansas.
“These overly burdensome rules will be devastating to nursing homes in Kansas, especially those in rural areas,” Marshall said. “The unfunded mandates will further increase operating costs and exacerbate the existing nursing shortage. There is no evidence that these regulations will improve the quality of patient care. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Marshall and U.S. Sen. Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, endorsed a congressional resolution that would, if passed, nullify the nursing home rules adopted by CMS.
Marshall co-sponsored a bill that would prohibit the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from implementing the minimum staffing rule in instances where imposition of the order diminished access to care. The bill was endorsed by LeadingAge Kansas, the Kansas Hospital Association and the Kansas Health Care Association/Kansas Center for Assisted Living.
“Our nursing homes are committed to providing the highest quality care in Kansas and stand ready to work on real solutions for the continuing workforce crisis in long term care,” said Rachel Monger, president and CEO of LeadingAge Kansas. “The federal government cannot mandate staff where none exists.”
Inside the numbers
Goodman, of Kansas Advocates for Better Care, said the federal rating system indicated 77 of the 306 nursing homes in Kansas were “problem” facilities. The analysis indicated one-third of for-profit nursing facilities in Kansas had low scores.
A federal government report in November concluded for-profit nursing facilities tended to have lower quality ratings, fewer registered nurses and more safety violations.
However, three of the highest-rated nursing homes in the area served by The Active Age — Derby Health & Rehabilitation Center, Life Center of Wichita, and Regent Park Rehabilitation and Healthcare — are for-profit operations. The area’s other five-star rated nursing homes are nonprofits, including Bethel Health Care Center, Caritas Center, Cheney Golden Age Home, Larksfield Place, Mount St. Mary and Schowalter Villa.
Libby Hastings, communications coordinator at Kansas Advocates for Better Care, said families should consult the federal rating system for nursing homes before making personal decisions, but also consider who owned and operated the nursing homes.
“I think for consumers it’s important not to go just solely based off the five-star metric system,” Hastings said. “I think it’s important to look at your inspections. You should go visit the facilities unannounced.”
‘Problem’ facilities in Butler, Sedgwick and Harvey counties
Editor’s note: Two local nursing homes — Legacy of College and Medicalodges of Goddard — listed as having one-star ratings in the Long-Term Community Coalition’s report currently have two-star ratings, according to medicare.gov. For ratings of all local nursing homes visit Complete Local nursing home ratings.
These facilities received one-star ratings (out of a possible five) from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services:
Advena Living at Fountainview, 601 N. Rose Hill Rd., Rose Hill
Clearwater Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, 620 E. Wood St., Clearwater
Diversicare of Sedgwick, 712 N. Monroe Ave., Sedgwick
Lakepoint Wichita, 1315 N. West St., Wichita
Life Care Center of Andover, 621 W. 21st St., Andover
Meridian Rehabilitation and Heath Care Center, 1555 N. Meridian
Orchard Gardens, 1600 S. Woodlawn Blvd., Wichita
Wheat State Manor, 601 S. Main St., Whitewater
Source: medicare.gov
The Active Age contributed to this article.
