The entrance a Orpea Group nursing home is pictured Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022 in Neuilly-sur-Seine, outside Paris. France's government pledged Wednesday to investigate what it called "absolutely revolting" allegations that a world leader in care for older adults has been putting profit before quality, rationing food and other items for nursing home residents. Orpea, with more than 1,100 care homes in 23 countries, has vigorously denied the accusations of shoddy and rapacious care which have battered its stock-market value in Paris this week and are detailed in an investigative journalist's book published Wednesday Jan;26, 2022. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus) | Photo: AP
Updated: January 26, 2022
PARIS (AP) - France's government pledged Wednesday to investigate what it called "absolutely revolting" allegations that a world leader in care for older adults has been putting profit before quality, rationing food and other items for nursing home residents.
Orpea, with more than 1,100 care homes in 23 countries, has vigorously denied the accusations of shoddy and rapacious care which have battered its stock-market value in Paris this week and are contained in an investigative journalist's book published Wednesday.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal described the alleged practices described in the book as "absolutely revolting" and said "reading such things leaves a knot in the stomach."
Attal said the government is considering launching an independent investigation to inspect "the entirety of the Orpea group."
"Our elders deserve respect," he said. "Tolerating such schemes in our country is out of the question."
Although Orpea is a private-sector company, the allegations are putting French ministers on the defensive because they risk throwing the spotlight back on the France's elderly care policies, after nursing homes saw atrocious suffering in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 infections devastated older generations before vaccinations curbed death rates in nursing homes and helped restore freedom for elderly residents who were often kept isolated in what some described as prison-like conditions. The pandemic has claimed nearly 130,000 lives in France, with 27,400 dying in care homes.
With President Emmanuel Macron facing re-election in April, the three-year investigation into the business of elderly care by journalist Victor Castanet has been seized upon by Macron's election rivals. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is calling for a parliamentary enquiry into the private management of care homes.
Orpea, in a statement, contested the book's allegations as lies. It noted that France's care-home sector is subject to "strict regulation and regular controls by public authorities."
Among those quoted in the book was a former Orpea nursing home employee who alleged that sanitary protections for residents were rationed to three a day in the care unit with a "terrible smell of piss" where she worked.
The government's minister for elderly care, Brigitte Bourguignon, said she wants to determine whether the allegations are limited in scope to just one care home or reveal "a system organized by Orpea."
"Trimming on quality out of concern for profitability would be very harmful," she tweeted.
Updated: January 26, 2022
PARIS (AP) - France's government pledged Wednesday to investigate what it called "absolutely revolting" allegations that a world leader in care for older adults has been putting profit before quality, rationing food and other items for nursing home residents.
Orpea, with more than 1,100 care homes in 23 countries, has vigorously denied the accusations of shoddy and rapacious care which have battered its stock-market value in Paris this week and are contained in an investigative journalist's book published Wednesday.
Government spokesman Gabriel Attal described the alleged practices described in the book as "absolutely revolting" and said "reading such things leaves a knot in the stomach."
Attal said the government is considering launching an independent investigation to inspect "the entirety of the Orpea group."
"Our elders deserve respect," he said. "Tolerating such schemes in our country is out of the question."
Although Orpea is a private-sector company, the allegations are putting French ministers on the defensive because they risk throwing the spotlight back on the France's elderly care policies, after nursing homes saw atrocious suffering in the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.
COVID-19 infections devastated older generations before vaccinations curbed death rates in nursing homes and helped restore freedom for elderly residents who were often kept isolated in what some described as prison-like conditions. The pandemic has claimed nearly 130,000 lives in France, with 27,400 dying in care homes.
With President Emmanuel Macron facing re-election in April, the three-year investigation into the business of elderly care by journalist Victor Castanet has been seized upon by Macron's election rivals. Far-right candidate Marine Le Pen is calling for a parliamentary enquiry into the private management of care homes.
Orpea, in a statement, contested the book's allegations as lies. It noted that France's care-home sector is subject to "strict regulation and regular controls by public authorities."
Among those quoted in the book was a former Orpea nursing home employee who alleged that sanitary protections for residents were rationed to three a day in the care unit with a "terrible smell of piss" where she worked.
The government's minister for elderly care, Brigitte Bourguignon, said she wants to determine whether the allegations are limited in scope to just one care home or reveal "a system organized by Orpea."
"Trimming on quality out of concern for profitability would be very harmful," she tweeted.
USA
Medicare posts key nursing home staffing info for consumers
Medicare posts key nursing home staffing info for consumers
Edward Williams, 62, a resident at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale, receives a COVID-19 booster shot in New York Sept. 27, 2021. Medicare says it's shining a light on key markers for nursing home quality. Starting Wednesday, the program is posting details on staff turnover and weekend nurse coverage on its "Care Compare" website, where families research individual facilities. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File) | Photo: AP
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Created: January 26, 2022
WASHINGTON (AP) - Shining a light on key markers for nursing home quality, Medicare said Wednesday it is now posting details on staff turnover and weekend nurse coverage on its "Care Compare" website, where families can research a facility.
The move by the Biden administration comes as COVID-19 cases and deaths at nursing homes have risen again, despite extensive efforts to vaccinate residents and staff. Staffing is a critical factor in nursing home quality and safety, but a major upgrade of federal requirements is stuck in Congress, bogged down with the rest of President Joe Biden's sweeping social and climate legislation.
To find the new information, consumers must go to the Care Compare website, select a particular nursing home, and then click on "View Staffing Information." On that page, they'll scroll down the list to find nurse staffing details on the weekends, and below that, information on turnover for nurses and administrators.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, said it has researched the links between staff turnover and quality of care. Initial results suggest that as staff turnover decreases, the overall quality rating for a facility increases. Nurse turnover is defined as the percent of nursing staff that stopped working at a facility over a 12-month period. Starting this summer, the agency will use the information on staff churn to help calculate its quality ratings for facilities, which are based on a five-star system.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of staffing for the well-being of residents and it's more important now than ever that CMS release any information related to staffing that can improve quality," agency administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement. "Residents and their families will also find this information valuable as they consider a nursing home for themselves or a loved one."
Nursing homes succeed or fail based on the quality of personal attention they provide to each individual resident.
Medicare said facilities with lower nurse turnover may have more staff familiar with each resident and may be more quickly able to identify telltale changes in a patient's condition that could signal trouble. For example, the nursing home may be able to put a plan into place to keep a patient who's dragging her feet from falling and suffering a potentially life-changing injury.
Medicare said it's also reporting turnover among administrators because that can affect stability, leadership and day-to-day operations, factors that translate to support for the staffers caring for patients.
Medicare's action drew praise from a a nationally known advocate for raising the bar on nursing home quality.
"Workforce is the number one issue facing nursing homes and transparency about staffing is critical to the safety and well-being of residents," said Terry Fulmer, president of the nonprofit John A. Hartford Foundation, which works to improve care for older adults.
But one of the main nursing home industry groups called the agency's action "tone deaf." The American Health Care Association said in a statement the government should instead address a labor shortage leaving many direct care jobs unfilled. "We've repeatedly called for help, yet no meaningful aid has been sent to the frontlines," the group said. "We need public health officials to do more than acknowledge these challenges, but stand up to address them."
Medicare said posting the new information for consumers will not create additional paperwork burdens for nursing homes. The data is already regularly reported to the government; it just hasn't been easily accessible to the public.
The Biden social agenda bill pending in Congress would require nursing homes to have a registered nurse on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would also set in motion a process that could lead to federal staffing requirements for nursing homes. Those proposals have set off a lobbying war: The nursing home industry says facilities have a hard enough time keeping current staff while consumer groups argue that minimum staffing requirements are essential steps to better quality.
By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR
Created: January 26, 2022
WASHINGTON (AP) - Shining a light on key markers for nursing home quality, Medicare said Wednesday it is now posting details on staff turnover and weekend nurse coverage on its "Care Compare" website, where families can research a facility.
The move by the Biden administration comes as COVID-19 cases and deaths at nursing homes have risen again, despite extensive efforts to vaccinate residents and staff. Staffing is a critical factor in nursing home quality and safety, but a major upgrade of federal requirements is stuck in Congress, bogged down with the rest of President Joe Biden's sweeping social and climate legislation.
To find the new information, consumers must go to the Care Compare website, select a particular nursing home, and then click on "View Staffing Information." On that page, they'll scroll down the list to find nurse staffing details on the weekends, and below that, information on turnover for nurses and administrators.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, said it has researched the links between staff turnover and quality of care. Initial results suggest that as staff turnover decreases, the overall quality rating for a facility increases. Nurse turnover is defined as the percent of nursing staff that stopped working at a facility over a 12-month period. Starting this summer, the agency will use the information on staff churn to help calculate its quality ratings for facilities, which are based on a five-star system.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of staffing for the well-being of residents and it's more important now than ever that CMS release any information related to staffing that can improve quality," agency administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in a statement. "Residents and their families will also find this information valuable as they consider a nursing home for themselves or a loved one."
Nursing homes succeed or fail based on the quality of personal attention they provide to each individual resident.
Medicare said facilities with lower nurse turnover may have more staff familiar with each resident and may be more quickly able to identify telltale changes in a patient's condition that could signal trouble. For example, the nursing home may be able to put a plan into place to keep a patient who's dragging her feet from falling and suffering a potentially life-changing injury.
Medicare said it's also reporting turnover among administrators because that can affect stability, leadership and day-to-day operations, factors that translate to support for the staffers caring for patients.
Medicare's action drew praise from a a nationally known advocate for raising the bar on nursing home quality.
"Workforce is the number one issue facing nursing homes and transparency about staffing is critical to the safety and well-being of residents," said Terry Fulmer, president of the nonprofit John A. Hartford Foundation, which works to improve care for older adults.
But one of the main nursing home industry groups called the agency's action "tone deaf." The American Health Care Association said in a statement the government should instead address a labor shortage leaving many direct care jobs unfilled. "We've repeatedly called for help, yet no meaningful aid has been sent to the frontlines," the group said. "We need public health officials to do more than acknowledge these challenges, but stand up to address them."
Medicare said posting the new information for consumers will not create additional paperwork burdens for nursing homes. The data is already regularly reported to the government; it just hasn't been easily accessible to the public.
The Biden social agenda bill pending in Congress would require nursing homes to have a registered nurse on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would also set in motion a process that could lead to federal staffing requirements for nursing homes. Those proposals have set off a lobbying war: The nursing home industry says facilities have a hard enough time keeping current staff while consumer groups argue that minimum staffing requirements are essential steps to better quality.
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