Eli Digital/Eli Research & Snalfnews.com Sep 30, 2003

STUDY: LOW MEDICAID RATES HURT NURSING HOME RESIDENTS

LAKE SUCCESS, NY -- 09/30/2003 -- (Eli Digital) In news that probably won't come as a shock to many long-term care providers, a study has found that government fiscal and regulatory policies get in the way of good nursing home care.

MyZiva.net, a company that provides information for nursing home consumers and providers, analyzed data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. It concluded that current staffing and Medicaid payment policies are hurting facilities' ability to provide high quality care.

"The government has imposed a series of policies, which lack a cohesive structure and will do more to impede care than ensure the well-being of residents," says MyZiva founder and CEO Robert Abrams, who presented his findings at the recent National Association of Subacute and Post Acute Care conference.

The report -- titled "Government Dilemma: How The Government's Own Data Exposes a Direct Correlation Between Inadequate Medicaid Reimbursement, Low Staffing Levels, Excessive Regulation and the Harm Caused to Nursing Home Residents" -- is available for free in PDF format by clicking here.