ManorCare to lay off 'several hundred' in US

[Mimosa]

Source: Toledo Blade

Toledo’s HCR ManorCare Inc. said yesterday it has begun laying off “several hundred” of its employees nationwide, including in Toledo, as the nursing-home chain copes with cutbacks in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

The firm, owned by the Carlyle Group, would not give specifics on how many layoffs will take place or where. But spokesman Rick Rump said the cuts were occurring at its skilled-nursing locations and among its corporate support staff. ManorCare has nearly 60,000 employees nationwide at its 510 skilled-nursing centers, assisted living facilities, hospice and home-care agencies, and rehabilitation clinics.

Mr. Rump said the firm’s primary funding source is the federal Medicare program, which is cutting its reimbursement rate to all skilled nursing and rehabilitation firms by 11.1 percent starting Oct. 1. With Ohio cutting its Medicaid reimbursement by more than 5 percent, the firm had to cut costs, he said.


Read more: http://www.toledoblade.com/Medical/2011/09/10/ManorCare-to-lay-off-several-hundred-in-U-S.html

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More details are at the link.

Medicare and Medicaid cuts have serious consequences.

[Dennis Donovan]

1. You forgot to bold, "the firm, owned by the Carlyle Group..."

That, to me, is very important to note!

[murielm99]

2. I didn't know that.

My brother just came back from a six week stay at a Manor Care nursing home.

[Mimosa]

3. LOL

That would have been against the rules, I think. But we know the BFEE works it's evil through the Carlyle Group. ;)

[elehhhhna]

4. aka BushBinLaden family investment co.

gotta dump those 'spensive loser employees in time for the IPO

The effers own Dunkin Donuts, too, I assume its real purpose is cash-money laundering?

[Horse with no Name]

10. Unfortunately it isn't limited to them

It is happening under the radar in MANY places.

[Are_grits_groceries]

5. Is this in reference to employees or patients? nt

[Are_grits_groceries]

6. Is this in reference to employees or patients? nt

[SpiralHawk]

7. "Pull yourselves up by your own colostomy bags. Smirk." - Republicons

"And don't bother us again while we are adding up the extra loot from our Special Republicon Socialism Tax Breaks for the Wealthy. Sneer."

- Republicons

[Honeycombe8]

8. Carlyle Group owns a company that runs Medicare-Medicaid nursing homes?

That sounds odd to me.

[emilyg]

9. My step-dad was in a Manor Care - got

excellent care.

[RickFromMN]

11. Very sad. Cutting back on employees will hurt patients.

They will be able to admit fewer patients.
Patients will have to find nursing homes further away from family and friends.

They will have fewer staff to take care of patients so patients will have to wait longer.
Rather than waiting 10 minutes for something, patients will have to wait 20-30 minutes.

They will have to cut back on activities that give patients a social life in their last years.
The nursing homes will become, quiet, dreary, sad, desolate places to live until one dies.

It's very sad. My mother is in a nursing home.
Some people have no choice. It's either be in a nursing home or die.
Mom is too weak to live with me. She would get hurt if we tried.
I would get hurt trying to keep her from getting hurt.

Edited to add Mom is in a very nice, clean nursing home. I hope it stays that way.

[jerseyjack]

12. Could they have considered just earning less profit?

[Yo_Mama]

14. There's not that much profit in a lot of these places

That's the reason that a union representing workers in a coalition of nursing homes got a waiver to not comply with the health care reform provisions that went into effect this year. They flat out could not pay to comply.

Medicare and Medicaid have the bulk of the market and they set the reimbursement rates.

[recoveringrepublican]

13. I worked there, for about 4 weeks, and had to leave...

Can not believe they are laying of people, hopefully it won't be actual resident caregivers (I worked for an off shoot Arden Courts Assisted living)! I quit because I was in charge of 14-16 (and that's only if the other RA in another wing didn't call in sick, more often than not I was caring for 28-32!) dementia/Alzheimer residents on the 11-7am shift. Lots of sundowning, so it's not like they were all sleeping. Residents had to pay EXTRA for a lock for their door to keep other residents out. Yet I had to change diapers, make snacks, laundry, major cleaning, getting residents ready for the day (even though most hated it!! freaking let them stay in their PJs if they want, they deserve it!) etc, which is all well and good unless you have some resident who thinks their wife is in trouble and needs to hot wire a car (I loved this resident, except when he got like this!) and then gets so upset he can't help his wife that he is charging into other resident's rooms and berating them.

The training was horrendous (We were RAs not CNA's so it was just in house training). Luckily I had taken a CNA course a decade before and remembered. Not so lucky was the young woman almost charge with Elder abuse because she had the audacity to help a resident up by the wrists(causing major bruising) instead of under the shoulder. I left after that, that place was just a headline waiting to happen "tragedy occurred due to a series of unfortunate events".

Not judging others who must place their loved ones in assisted living care, but judging from what I saw here in FL, no way in hell unless there is a danger in keeping them. This is not a judgment on the RNs, LPNs, CNAs, and RAs that worked there, only that they were so understaffed it would be impossible to adequately care for all the residents, yet now they are laying off more?

[Mimosa]

15. Bless you, Recovering Republican

My grandmother had to live in a nursing home for nearly 2 years. I could not alone nurse her and do what she needed. After her death I volunteered to help older people in a nearby New Orleans nursing home.

We both know there is no 'room' to cut back on employees. :(