To reach unvaccinated, U.S. secures 3.2M doses of Novavax vaccine
By
Liza Berger
Jul 12, 2022
Pending authorization by the Food and Drug Administration, the federal government has secured 3.2 million cases of Novavax’s COVID-19 vaccine.
Pandemic has eroded patient safety gains, researchers argue
By
Amy Novotney
Feb 17, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly degraded the strides made over the last two decades in improving patient safety, particularly in long-term care, according to CMS and the CDC. In response, APIC has...
Results of CMS initiative support on-site acute care in nursing homes
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 09, 2023
On-site acute care in the nursing home did not result in any harm and appeared to benefit long-stay residents, outcomes from a multi-state initiative revealed. Investigators are urging medical directors...
Use the ‘5 C’s’ to tackle COVID vaccine hesitancy, physicians say
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 04, 2021
The reasons for vaccine hesitancy — a delay in acceptance or refusal to be vaccinated — can be boiled down to five important factors that may help clinicians understand and better approach this issue,...
HHS to extend PREP Act protections for pharmacy workers after end of PHE
By
Alicia Lasek
Apr 16, 2023
Pharmacy providers will continue to have liability immunity when administering COVID-19 and vaccinations, treatments and tests after the end of the Public Health Emergency, the Department of Health and...
Omicron BA.2 subvariant tied to less severe illness than delta, original omicron
Oct 28, 2022
Mortality rates are lower for omicron BA.2 than for delta variant and early omicron, investigators report.
FDA authorizes omicron-targeting vaccines as preferred COVID booster shots
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 01, 2022
The FDA has authorized new, bivalent versions of Pfizer’s and Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines to be used as booster shots. At the same time, the original monovalent versions are no longer authorized as...
GAO report shows limited use of Medicare cognitive assessment services, obstacles that remain
By
Kristen Fischer
Dec 13, 2023
A new US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report found that the use of cognitive assessment and care plan services tripled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare between 2018 and 2022. However,...
New guidance for treating hypoglycemia in long-term care stresses understanding of glucagon
By
Kristen Fischer
Aug 21, 2023
There’s some new guidance on treating hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar, in long-term care communities. It’s specifically geared for healthcare workers, though anyone who is a caregiver for someone...
CDC: C. auris spreading at ‘alarming’ rate in U.S. healthcare facilities
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 22, 2023
Drug-resistant Candida auris, a known threat to nursing homes, has spread rapidly, and a growing number of cases are resistant to first-line treatment, federal researchers report.