Post-acute care providers are facing both increased demand for care and decreases in staff availability in what has become a “growing concern,” according to a new report on the state of the post-acute care sector.
Using data from the Healthcare Cost Report Information System, analysts from Trella Health found that skilled nursing facilities lost 9.1% of their full-time equivalent (FTE) employees between 2019 and 2022. The vast majority (7.9%) of that drop came between 2020 and 2021 alone.
During that two-year period in which skilled nursing was losing staff, Medicare admissions rose 2.2% — accounting for both fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage patients. This reveals a concerning trend, the analysts said.
“Essentially, an average skilled nursing facility cared for 2.2% more patients with 7.9% fewer staff,” they wrote. “The cost report data quantifies a substantial headwind for post-acute care agencies going forward. The market for nurses and therapists has become much more competitive due to increases in demand for healthcare as the population over 65 continues to represent a higher percentage of the overall population.”
Salaries across the long-term care sector have risen faster than inflation in recent years as providers struggle to attract and retain frontline care workers. Their concerns have only ballooned in light of the federal nursing home staffing mandate ramping up legal pressure to not only maintain but increase staffing at the majority of facilities across the country.
The Trella report analyzed trends across post-acute care broadly. The need to “reimagine” the workforce was among the five major themes its authors found.
The analysts urged providers to continue pushing for innovative solutions and new improvements on multiple fronts to improve retention.
“Significant” losses of workers combined with increased competition from agencies put providers in an unprecedented bind.
“To overcome this crisis,” the researchers said, “providers need to rethink their approach to attracting and retaining talent. This includes offering competitive pay and benefits, investing in training and development, and creating a more supportive and flexible work environment.”
