SLPs in SNFs Share Stories of PDPM-Related Layoffs, Treatment and Pay Cuts

Last Saturday, speech-language pathologist Summer Branch went to work as usual at the two skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) she traversed. Both West Texas facilities contract with a larger rehabilitation company, and Branch was surprised to get a call from the company’s regional manager when she clocked out of work that day. The manager told her that, as of that minute, the job she’d had for four years was terminated due to staffing changes. “I just didn’t see it coming,” Branch says. Suddenly, she no longer had health insurance. But, if she wanted, she could opt for pro re nata (PRN) employment, in which the company would hire her to work as needed. Branch rejected that option because the company would pay her the same hourly wage without providing benefits or paid time off. (Typically PRN offers a significantly higher hourly wage to offset the lack of benefits and leave pay. Not in this case.) Several states to the east, in Georgia, another SLP (who asked that her name not be used) experienced a similar shock. Her two-year job in a SNF contracted with a large rehabilitation company came to an abrupt end Monday. They had given her only two weeks’ notice. The company refused to pay out the entire 80 hours of leave she’d accrued and hasn’t sent her an official termination letter despite her requests. That’s made it impossible for her to claim unemployment. These two SLPs  aren’t alone in losing their SNF employment. In the past week, SLPs, occupational the...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Health Care Slider Speech-Language Pathology Cognitive Rehabilitation medicare patient-driven payment model rehabilitation companies skilled nursing facilities SNFs Swallowing Disorders Source Type: blogs