Tanner Rachel C
Issue Brief Health Policy Track Serv. 2003 Dec 31:1-16.
For more than a decade, lawmakers have focused on improving care in the nation's nursing homes by mandating tighter regulations for the industry. With a growing elderly population and findings that suggest a majority of nursing facilities are understaffed to the point of endangering the health of patients, states and the federal government are strengthening their resolve to crack down on delinquent facilities and introduce minimum requirements for staffing levels to improve quality of care. A common way states have chosen to impose these requirements is through minimum staff-to-patient ratios, but states also must address how to fund mandated staff increases.
十多年来，立法者一直致力于通过对该行业实施更严格的监管来改善美国养老院的护理状况。随着老年人口的不断增加，以及有调查结果表明大多数护理机构人员配备不足，已到了危及患者健康的程度，各州和联邦政府正在加强决心，打击违规机构，并引入人员配备水平的最低要求，以提高护理质量。各州选择实施这些要求的一种常见方式是通过规定最低的医护比，但各州还必须解决如何为强制增加的人员配备提供资金的问题。
