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...
COVID-19 mortality tied to racial disparities in nursing homes, industry expert says
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 11, 2021
Nursing homes with a non-white resident population of more than 40% have more than three times the rate of COVID-19 cases and deaths than those with fewer non-white residents, says R. Tamara Konetzka,...
Antigen tests just as effective as PCR in preventing COVID outbreaks, NIH study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 02, 2021
A “highly anticipated” study now shows that both testing approaches can give 98% sensitivity when used at least twice weekly in a screening program.
Losing smell and taste signals COVID-19 infection with high recovery likelihood: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 13, 2020
Patients with smell and taste loss are more than 10 times more likely to have a COVID-19 infection than another virus, report researchers.
FDA: Viral mutations unlikely to cause false negatives in COVID-19 tests
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 11, 2021
The agency has alerted healthcare providers that it is monitoring approved SARS-CoV-2 molecular tests to ensure that new viral mutations do not alter their accuracy.