Nurses have enough on their plates without having to worry about politics, but strained government budgets are forcing nursing home employees to take a more proactive approach to seeking reimbursement.
State Medicaid programs are the biggest purchasers of nursing home services in the United States. The quality of care at nursing homes depends on whether or not reimbursement occurs at timely rate. Nursing home residents are some of society’s most vulnerable people. They rarely have the type of access and voice that can influence government officials. So it is up to nursing home officials to take a more active role according to Edward Alan Miller of the Department of Gerontology, McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies, at the University of Massachusetts-Boston.
Miller and his research partner Dr. Cynthia Rudder interviewed 27 individuals in the nursing home reimbursement chain in the states of New York and Minnesota. They concluded that the best way to influence government officials was through forming coalitions of consumer advocate groups to directly lobby government officials. The report said that targeting influential legislature in chair positions of important committees proved most effective. The grassroots movements also increased political and public support for nursing home issues.
Strength in numbers helps to get your point across. By partnering with other nursing homes and advocacy groups the quality of care can improve at individual nursing homes.
What does this mean of individual nursing home employees? Spread awareness of nursing home reimbursement issues with local influencers. Communicating your concerns even on a local level helps to provide a narrative for your organization’s lobbying efforts.