Mental Health Care Deficiency Citations in Nursing Homes and Caregiver Staffing

In this paper, we examine the association between caregiver staffing levels and mental health outcomes in approximately 17,000 U.S. nursing homes. As outcomes, we focus on deficiency citations available in the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ Online Survey, Certification, And Recording data. We examine nurse aide, licensed practical nurse, registered nurse, and mental health provider staffing. Our results show that the level of nursing staff matter with respect to mental health outcomes. Whereas greater RN staffing was associated with a lower likelihood of being cited for deficiencies in mental health care, greater LPN and NA staffing were associated with a higher likelihood. We found no association between mental health provider staffing levels and mental health outcomes.