Challenges remain for long-term care facilities after the pandemic’s peak.
Long-term care infrastructure was put to the test during the COVID-19 pandemic, and continues to be challenged with staffing shortages, fragmented reimbursement and demands for increasing quality.
In rural areas, these issues have been magnified. Shrinking populations mean there are fewer people around to care for aging rural Americans who are living longer, and requiring more long-term services and support. At the same time, financial incentives to maximize care facility profits sometimes outweigh the mission of these facilities to maintain quality of life for vulnerable populations. Regulators and policymakers are grappling with the right mix of incentives and penalties to achieve high quality long-term care.
Dr. Lacey Loomer
“If you live in a rural area, there aren’t many options for long-term care. Everyone deserves a local place to turn to when living independently becomes too difficult, but unfortunately, the long-term care system is inequitable.”
About Lacey Loomer
Dr. Lacey Loomer is assistant professor of Health Care Management in the Department of Economics and Health Care Management at the Labovitz School of Business and Economics at the University of Minnesota Duluth. Her research focuses on long-term services and supports, rural health care, and Medicare payment policy. She enjoys teaching passionate undergraduates in the health care management program and is looking forward to watching them excel in health care leadership positions after graduation.
She has published in outlets such as Journal of American Medical Association, Journal of General Internal Medicine, and Journal of American Geriatrics Society. Her research has been featured in Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and WBUR.
Contact:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 218-726-8626