Governor Phil Bredesen promoted his still unseen reform plan for long-term health care, telling editors of the Tennessee Press Association today that the state should expand the services offered by nursing homes, rather than taking them out of the equation.
In a tight budget year, Bredesen says the issue will be setting up a structure that allows nursing homes to compete to offer home-health services. Bredesen says it’s not going to be a seismic shift for the nursing home industry, but one that will take place over a number of years.
“What I’m trying to say to nursing homes is, ‘Look, it’s going to happen, it’s happened in other states, you know, help me out here, expand your notion of what a nursing home is and provide this care. You’ll end up with a bigger business and a broader one and a more stable one than you have right now, if you can do that.’ ”
The governor suggests that the state could help nursing homes through simplified licensing procedures. Now, nursing homes must apply for separate licenses to provide out-patient care.
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