States push CMS to repeal COVID-19 vaccine mandate
By
Kimberly Marselas
Lois A. Bowers
Nov 18, 2022
A coalition of 22 states is taking a new angle in its attempts to overturn a national mandate requiring that healthcare workers be vaccinated against COVID-19: They’re simply asking federal regulators...
‘Imperative’ to finalize staffing rule this year, dozens of House members tell CMS
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 20, 2023
More than a quarter of the House of Representatives signed a letter last week urging the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to move forward with its plan to institute a nationwide staffing mandate...
OIG urges CMS to use claims to uncover abuse of Medicare patients
By
Kimberly Marselas
Nov 10, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has pledged to issue new guidance on resident abuse after a federal watchdog found the agency was failing to use claims data to spot potential cases of neglect...
New CMS data platform raises concerns about access, worker privacy
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 20, 2022
A technology change is raising concerns about data access and worker privacy as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services transitions to a new, more secure data-reporting process.
BREAKING: CMS says all healthcare staff must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 04, 2021
Long-term care staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 under a new healthcare worker vaccination rule released early Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Nursing homes have to fight for pay protections in Medicare Advantage rule: expert
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 27, 2023
Providers must play an active role in stopping aggressive Medicare Advantage practices that have for years limited access to skilled nursing care, a top managed care expert warned administrators gathered...
OIG partly blames CMS for Life Care Centers deficiencies
By
Joe Bush
Sep 20, 2022
A federal watchdog said a lack of communication by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may have caused infection control deficiency citations at Life Care Centers of America nursing homes between...
CMS doubles down: Surveyors do not have to be COVID vaccinated
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 07, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has held audiences with skilled nursing providers, made presentations and entertained comments in recent months to assure operators that regulatory actions...
‘Confounded’ providers urge mandated COVID-19 testing for hospital workers, surveyors
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 01, 2020
Healthcare stakeholders who regularly come into contact with skilled nursing residents should be subject to COVID-19 testing mandates similar to those for nursing home employees, a prominent long-term...
Nursing home pay rule reveals CMS strategy on minimum staffing
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 13, 2022
If there’s one thing nursing home providers, consumer advocates and regulators can all agree on when it comes to the development of a federal minimum staffing rule, it might be just how difficult the...