St. John’s CEO Runyon Addresses Skilled Nursing Care Crisis
St. John’s President and CEO Charlie Runyon recently spoke with Will Astor of the Rochester Beacon about the current state of the skilled care industry and how communities like St. John’s Home are working for the elders in Rochester.
Runyon discussed a national and local shortage of beds and staffing within the long-term care and skilled nursing industry that puts older adults at risk. The root of the crisis is — low Medicaid reimbursement rates that do not align with operational expenses. “We are losing $125 per resident a day on Medicaid residents,” said Runyon.
According to Runyon, 70% of St. John’s Home residents are on Medicaid, which is on trend with the rest of the state. “Nearly all of the state’s nursing homes also are largely dependent on Medicaid payments, which fall short of the actual cost of providing care,” wrote Astor.
In the face of current realities, nursing home administrations are working to find creative solutions to combat this challenge.
In the article, Runyon spoke about St. John’s recent partnership with the University of Rochester’s Medical Center (URMC) to help both organizations meet the growing demand within the community. Under the agreement, URMC will set up and staff a dialysis unit on one of the currently vacant floors at St. John’s Home and staff additional people in the community for a pediatric skilled nursing unit. Runyon added that the new unit will eliminate the need to transport residents to off-campus, third-party providers and clinics.
Kathy Parrinello, President and CEO of Strong and Highland Hospitals, was also featured in the article. She said that accommodating the needs of patients who require skilled nursing care will require more beds. Through St. John’s partnership with URMC, she said it will help “remove some pressure.”
This is just one of the many creative ways St. John’s is adapting and innovating to better meet the needs of those in the community.
