U.S. labs predict COVID test delays, cite surge in demand
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 16, 2020
Long-term care facilities soon may face longer waits for PCR test results as diagnostic laboratories reach or exceed testing capacity, lab reps say. The warning comes as U.S. COVID cases spike upward.
Fauci: Early data show omicron spreads quickly but with less severity than delta
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 08, 2021
Omicron cases appear to have led to fewer hospitalizations and patients have been less likely to need oxygen, the White House’s infectious disease expert said Tuesday.
Officials promote air filtration upgrades amid ‘tripledemic’
By
Amy Novotney
Jan 20, 2023
With the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention urging better air filtration in healthcare facilities amid the “tripledemic,” many companies are rushing products to market.
Nursing home operators would improve quality of life, infection control by reexamining architectural...
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 05, 2020
Nursing home operators have an urgent need to reexamine their facility design models to better protect residents after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed flaws in current models, researchers argued in a new...
CMS details 5 new scenarios that trigger infection control-focused surveys
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 06, 2021
Multiple weeks with new coronavirus cases or low staffing are among the additional scenarios that will trigger a focused infection control survey at a nursing home, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Most primary care docs would treat asymptomatic UTIs with antibiotics, survey finds
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
May 31, 2022
Fully 70% of primary care doctors would prescribe antibiotics for UTI based on a positive urine culture alone, a new survey has found.
Most nursing home visits banned as part of federal COVID-19 strategy
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 15, 2020
Exceptions include healthcare workers, surveyors and those in compassionate care situations.
National survey tells story of COVID in assisted living
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 19, 2021
New industry data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics details how COVID-19 affected assisted living communities across the country during the height of the pandemic.
**UPDATED** New CMS guidance consolidates five infection control F-tags into one
Jul 23, 2009
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently released final changes regarding certain guidance governing infection control in long-term care facilities. The formal effective date for the revised...
Floor swabs an early warning sign of COVID-19 outbreaks, researchers say
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 16, 2023
A 14-month program in 10 long-term care facilities has found that floor swabs accurately detect a COVID-19 outbreak days before it is identified by staff members.