ALBANY, N.Y. – After a deadly year in New York's nursing homes, state lawmakers have passed legislation intended to hold facility operators more accountable for neglect and potentially force them to spend more on patient care.
Rules passed in recent days as part of a state budget deal would require for-profit homes to spend at least 70% of their revenue on direct patient care, including 40% on staffers who work directly with residents.
Under the deal, set to be signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, home operators will also face limits on their profit margins.
Any profits in excess of 5% would have to be sent to the state. “The goal is here to not only protect people in nursing homes but to dissuade bad actors from coming into this