The Need for an Economically Feasible Nursing Home Staffing Regulation: Evaluating an Acuity-Based Nursing Staff Benchmark.

Without clear guidance on the staffing level needed to be sufficiently staffed, most NHs are subject to a community standard of care, which some have argued could be associated with suboptimal staffing levels. Implementing an acuity-based benchmark could result in improved staffing levels but also comes with significant economic costs. The STM benchmark is not economically feasible at current Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement levels.