Industry Group: 35 More Mass Nursing Homes Could Close This Year CBS Boston

Table of Content

• Report details and key findings
• Nursing Home Family Resource Line
• Cambridge Health Alliance – Somerville Hospital SEF (
• MetroWest Medical Center – Framingham Union Hospital Inpatient Pediatric Service (
• Shriners Hospitals for Children – Springfield (
• Mass. Nursing Homes Get $50 Million Lifeline, But More Closures Are Expected

Nearly 8 in 10 home care leaders cite staffing shortages as the primary driver of declining client growth rates. The United States doesn't have the social or political infrastructure to adequately care for seniors at home. Medicare does not currently reimburse for ADLs, meaning many seniors or their families must pay for such care out of pocket.

First, at least 120 days before the proposed closure date the facility must notify DPH and those impacted by their decision to close and submit a draft closure plan. At the same time, five assisted living centers — where residents dwell independently but receive personal care services in a less clinical environment — have either gone out of business recently or are in the process of doing so. Four of them served a mostly low-income population and were supported primarily by public funds. As a result, Massachusetts ranks fourth worst in the nation for funding quality nursing home resident care resulting in more than half of the state’s nursing facilities operating at a loss. Because three-quarters of a nursing facility’s budget is used to fund employee wages and benefits, a facility’s ability to invest in staff is directly tied to state funding.

Report details and key findings

Massachusetts regulators recently announced new rules that, if adopted, will change the requirements for nursing home sales and closures in the state. A public hearing would also be required prior to nursing home changes of ownership if at least 10 people petition the state health department. All proposed nursing home closures would be subject to public hearing and public notices. Massachusetts spends approximately $1.7 billion annually for Medicaid nursing home care for about 30,000 long term care residents who receive housing, 24-hour nursing care, therapy and assistance with all activities of daily living.

DPH works with facilities and provides supports to properly address deficiencies when necessary. There are temporary situations where an in-person visit with your loved one is not safe and cannot occur, including if there is a new COVID-19 case in your loved one's unit, floor, or care area or your loved one is currently infected with COVID-19. Please ask your loved one’s facility if you can use FaceTime or other video calling options during this time to keep in touch. Currently, Massachusetts’ guidance encourages outdoor and indoor visitation, with specific safety measures in place including residents and visitors wearing masks and social distancing, and facilities following cleaning protocols.

Nursing Home Family Resource Line

“These are vulnerable people who had no recourse,” said the group’s senior attorney Betsey Crimmins. Landmark executives didn’t respond to the Globe’s e-mails and phone calls. Its remaining residents got a reprieve after officials from the Boston Center for Independent Living and the Northeast Justice Center urged state elder affairs officials to press Landmark’s management to hold off on evictions. Nursing homes are also being squeezed by longstanding labor shortages that intensified during the pandemic as some immigrant care workers returned to their native countries. And the phasing out of pandemic-era Paycheck Protection Program loans, which propped up many struggling homes temporarily, has made it harder to operate profitably. One nursing home, Quincy Health & Rehabilitation Center, which plans to close Dec. 7, blamed a new post-pandemic limit of two beds per room.

BOSTON — Up to 35 Massachusetts nursing homes are at risk of closing this year due to financial struggles, according to the Massachusetts Senior Care Association. If DPH finds the service to be necessary, the hospital is required to submit a plan for assuring access to DPH within 15 days of the finding. The hospital must then submit a formal 90-day notice of the closure to DPH, which must be provided at least 90 calendar days before the proposed closure date. There is not enough home health staffing in the industry to accommodate existing demand for Medicare-certified home health, let alone rapid growth. Like many health care employers, post-acute organizations are grappling with a shortage of clinical staff.

Cambridge Health Alliance – Somerville Hospital SEF (

Twenty-one Massachusetts nursing facilities have closed, or have announced plans to close, since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020. The number of nursing facilities in the state has fallen 13 percent to 367, from 422 in 2014. Officials said the three nursing homes did not properly group residents who tested positive, misused PPE and had inadequate staffing ratios, in some cases refusing extra help from the state. “These facilities are not able to provide quality care, particularly in the event of a second surge,” MassHealth officials said in a press release. The new proposed rules were announced on August 12, 2015, a year after state legislators directed regulators to create a more public process for nursing home sales and closures. The bill would fund a career ladder program and a scholarship program for long-term care workers, so nursing home workers would be able to receive additional training and stay in the field.

Nursing homes provide an invaluable service to those needing long-term care. Find more information about the available resources, including understanding your long term care options, how to find information about individual nursing homes, and your rights as a resident living in a long-term care facility. The pandemic overwhelmed Massachusetts nursing homes, reducing their census of residents by 21 percent from 37,975 in 2019 to 30,065 last year, according to data from the Kaiser Family Foundation. Long-term care advocates believe the state’s official count of 6,894 deaths in senior care homes understates the toll from COVID outbreaks. Five nursing homes have notified state regulators they plan to close by the end of the year, citing rising costs, empty beds, inadequate funding, and acute staff shortages. Four other nursing facilities shut down earlier in the year, while another 10 are part of a family-owned chain, Royal Health Group based in Pembroke, that’s up for sale.

Marc Zimmet, CEO of Zimmet Healthcare Services Group, said the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened conditions for nursing home across the country, and even states that have traditionally been considered "stable" are now seeing significant closures. To highlight the potential impact of these proposed payment cuts, AHCA/NCAL highlighted findings from a recent CliftonLarsenAllen study that modeled what could happen if Medicare was cut by 5% and the Medicaid public health emergency funding ends in 2022. For the report, AHCA/NCAL analyzed data from CMS' Survey & Certification's Quality, Certification and Oversight Reports to determine the number of nursing home closures between 2015 and 2022. The disturbing stories outlined by Healy underscore the life-and-death stakes involved in nursing home care. Staff need to be properly screened, trained, and compensated for their work.

The Department of Public Health performs regular, in-person infection control surveys to make sure nursing homes and rest homes are meeting infection control standards. They ask questions, observe staff and management activities, and make sure infection control and safety protocols are being followed. Provide notification to all those who received the initial notice of intent to close that DPH has approved the closure plan.

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While there is widespread desire to receive short-term rehab care at home, consumers preference is more even for long-term care. Results from Advisory Board's 2021 Post-Acute Consumer Survey show 37% of respondents prefer to receive long-term care in a facility , in comparison to 33% who say they prefer to receive long-term care in the home. In recent months, 20 facilities have shuttered, and another 35 could do so by the end of the year if lawmakers do not act to close a $360 million annual funding gap, according to the Massachusetts Senior Care Association. It is well known that the baby boomer generation is getting older and there will likely be a rise in the number of people who need nursing home services in the coming years. If you have questions then please talk to your loved one’s home before visiting to better understand what to expect and how to make it a safe experience for everyone. For providers and administrators of nursing home care in Massachusetts.

First, at least 120 days before the proposed closure date, the hospital must notify DPH of its intent to submit formal notification about the intended discontinuation of services. The hospital must also notify those impacted by the service closure, including the hospital’s patient and family council, hospital staff, labor organizations representing the hospital’s workforce, and local and state elected officials. "Every closure is like a family being broken apart, with the lives of residents, staff and their families impacted in the process," Parkinson said. "With hundreds of nursing home closures looming now and thousands more anticipated if government funding is cut, state and federal policymakers need to step up to support our social safety net."

More than 1,000 residents and staff will be impacted by the announced closures. The Massachusetts Senior Care Association today stressed that these decisions underscore an industry on the brink of collapse due largely to inadequate state Medicaid funding, and that many more closures are possible. The association, which represents nursing homes, assisted living facilities and other senior care providers, is pushing for a bill that would give nursing homes an additional $70 million annually, split between state and federal money. Stopping admissions enables homes to focus resources such as staff and PPE on the health and safety of its current residents and enables the home to stabilize before taking on new residents. Homes that meet certain criteria will be required to stop any new admissions until the Department of Public Health has determined that conditions have improved and the facility is ready to safely care for new residents. The Commonwealth will work closely with homes during this time and provide supports as needed to ensure resident health and safety.

"Additionally, the underfunding has contributed to an inability to make needed investments in resident care and meaningful wage increases for front-line staff." Although the state has been trying to move from nursing home care toward community-based care, advocates say nursing homes are necessary for the sickest seniors. On an average day, there are 40,000 Massachusetts residents in approximately 400 nursing homes. DPH will review this plan and if more information is needed, send the hospital written comments within 10 day of receiving the plan. The hospital must then submit a response to any comments by DPH within 10 days.

When funds are low, it is impossible for facilities to keep knowledgeable staff, and it turns a demanding work environment into a dangerous one. Nursing homes nationwide are having trouble staying at full-occupancy. The difference between running at 90% and 80% occupancy often means success or failure for these facilities. As the number of empty beds rises, costs are cut, employees are let go, the quality of care declines, and tragic accidents can happen. Last year, 20 nursing homes in Massachusetts shut their doors after failing to meet necessary financial goals. The Massachusetts Senior Care Association estimates that 35 more homes will close this year in similar fashion.