Spring cleaning 2021: Will your rehab team pass the white-glove review?
By
Renee Kinder
Apr 22, 2021
Spring is in the air. Time to open the doors, let some fresh air in, and clean above, under and between every surface in our homes. Spring is a season that allows my obsessive cleaning habits to become...
White House to extend PHE designation through April, reports say
By
James M. Berklan
Nov 14, 2022
The federal government will extend the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration until at least April, according to published reports.
Hitting the road for rural respect
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 17, 2023
This week takes me on a road trip, but I assure you there’s no VW bus with a dashboard full of party snacks.
Providers worried about CMS pace on new MDS materials
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 09, 2022
Skilled nursing operators were happily surprised in September with an early draft of MDS revisions, but ever since it’s been a slog getting more information.
Danger ahead?: SNFs face potentially steep cuts as CMS considers changes to PDPM, VBP program
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 12, 2021
A recalibration to the Patient Driven Payment Model could have troubling payment implications for skilled nursing providers who are still trying to manage a difficult operating environment caused by the...
Providers must see clearly before they CHOW down
By
Richard Cheng
Sep 29, 2014
When a skilled nursing facility changes ownership, the change is known in healthcare vernacular as a change of ownership or “CHOW.” Because this could wind up endangering a Medicare provider...
Why CMS is shifting its infection control focus to sepsis
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 11, 2024
BALTIMORE — Quality experts at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will be taking a closer look at sepsis rates in nursing homes while continuing broader efforts to improve infection control,...
Senate bill to block nursing home staffing mandate introduced
By
Kimberly Marselas
Dec 06, 2023
Sen. Deb Fischer (R-NE) officially introduced a bill late Tuesday aiming to block the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services from implementing its proposed nursing home staffing mandate.
BREAKING: Feds partner with CVS, Walgreens to provide pending COVID-19 vaccinations to all senior care...
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 16, 2020
Residents and workers of all long-term care settings will receive free vaccinations against the coronavirus onsite under a special public-private partnership with pharmaceutical giants CVS and Walgreens,...
More nursing home cuts buried deep in CMS physician fee schedule
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 12, 2022
Healthcare providers, including doctors and physicians who treat nursing home patients, continue to find more troubling details in the 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.