Federal requirements for nursing homes to include certified nursing assistants in resident care planning and interdisciplinary teams: A policy analysis

Jasmine L. Travers, Billy A. Caceres, David Vlahov, Hussain Zaidi, Janette S. Dill, Robyn I. Stone, Patricia W. Stone

Research output: Contribution to journalComment/debatepeer-review

Abstract

Starting in 2016, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services implemented the first phase of a 3-year multi-phase plan revising the manner in which nursing homes are regulated. In this revision, attention was placed on the importance of certified nursing assistants (CNAs) to resident care and the need to empower these frontline workers. Phase II mandates that CNAs be included as members of the nursing home interdisciplinary team that develops care plans for the resident that are person-centered and comprehensive and reviews and revises these care plans after each resident assessment. While these efforts are laudable, there are no direct guidelines for how to integrate CNAs in the interdisciplinary team. We recommend the inclusion of direct guidelines, in which this policy revision clarifies the expected contributions from CNAs, their responsibilities, their role as members of the interdisciplinary team, and the expected patterns of communication between CNAs and other members of the interdisciplinary team.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)617-625
Number of pages9
JournalNursing outlook
Volume69
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2021

Keywords

  • Direct care workforce
  • Long-term care
  • Policy
  • Practice

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Nursing

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Federal requirements for nursing homes to include certified nursing assistants in resident care planning and interdisciplinary teams: A policy analysis'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this