By Samantha Young | Kaiser Health News
California is revamping how it rewards nursing homes to get them to improve patient care.
Rather than limit bonuses to top-performing facilities, the state will hand out additional Medicaid payments next year to nursing homes — even low-rated ones — that hire additional workers, reduce staff turnover or improve quality of care. Facilities will be scored on their performance so facilities that do more will earn larger bonuses. And to ensure an acceptable level of care, the state will sanction facilities that fail to meet clinical and quality standards for patients.
The switch is part of a multipronged effort by Gov. Gavin Newsom