OHCA 2020 Oregon Long Term Care State Report

2020 Oregon Long Term Care State Report www.ohca.com 19 2021 Policy Prescriptions COVID-19 Response Oregon should support OHCA’s legislation that advances several concepts related to pandemic response and disaster preparedness, including: f Improving state agency-to-provider coordination for higher quality, more efficient delivery of care f Promoting the mental and emotional wellbeing of residents’ through isolation prevention plans f Establishing standards for personal protective equipment reserves f Strengthening infectious disease testing for all individuals who enter long term care settings f Ensuring access to technical assistance and training for infectious disease control Workforce Without significant changes, Oregon will not have the workforce needed to care for baby boomers requiring long term care services and supports. Oregon should implement a series of public policy initiatives to enhance the caregiving profession, including: f Streamlining and aligning training requirements so that caregivers have a clear career path for advancement f Increasing the availability of education and training programs for licensed and certified staff f Improving access to quality health care for caregivers Oregon should ensure that Medicaid reimbursement rates for home and community-based care services keep pace with rising labor costs. Access and Affordability Oregon serves most seniors receiving care in home and community- based care settings (assisted living and residential care) compared with other states that still heavily rely on traditional nursing homes and post- acute care settings. The cost of providing quality care in assisted living and residential care communities is rising, with private pay consumers currently subsidizing the cost of providing care to Medicaid beneficiaries at significant levels. Oregon should ensure access to affordable long term care services and supports for vulnerable Oregonians by adopting inflationary increases to the Medicaid reimbursement rate for home and community-based care providers and fully rebasing reimbursement rates for skilled nursing facilities in the 2021–23 biennium. Key Priorities Continue professionalizing the long term care workforce through streamlining training requirements and increasing the availability of education and training programs for licensed and certified staff Ensure that Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers keep up with the rising labor costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic Support the retention of essential health care workers by improving access to quality health benefits for caregivers Improve long term care pandemic and infection control policies and procedures, codifying lessons learned and improving collaboration between responding regulators