One in Five R.N. Positions in Maine Hospital-Owned Nursing Homes Vacant, Survey Finds

Twenty percent of registered nurse positions in hospital-owned nursing homes in Maine are vacant, a new Maine Hospital Association study has found. The Bangor Daily News reports that the survey of 20 of Maine's 28 hospital-owned nursing homes found that the R.N. shortage is 71% higher than it was one year ago and "twice as acute" as the nursing shortage within Maine hospitals. Twenty percent of nursing homes statewide are owned by hospitals. The study also found that 13% of certified nursing assistant positions -- nearly twice as many as last year -- are unfilled, that 50% of long term care R.N.s are over 49 years old and that 33% of administrators use "expensive" temporary staffing agencies to fill vacancies.

Longer Waits
Study author Kevin Lewis, MHA's director of continuing care, said that the shortage creates "longer waits" for people who need to enter a nursing home for rehabilitation or long term care. Fifteen percent of nursing homes surveyed have waiting lists for admission. Lewis attributed the shortage to the fact that nurses at hospital-owned nursing homes "aren't paid well relative to many other available jobs." They make less money than hospital nurses because of low Medicaid reimbursements, the Daily News reports. State figures show that nursing home nurses made $17 per hour in 1998, compared to $18.59 per hour for all registered nurses. Lewis said that in 1999, Medicaid reimbursement was $9.3 million below costs across the state. MHA is "lobby[ing] for legislative action on Medicaid rates," the Daily News reports (Moore, Bangor Daily News, 10/30). The study is available online. Note: you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the study. For further information on state health policy in Maine, visit State Health Facts Online.