CNA staffing, turnover will be a top focus, federal official vows
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 21, 2020
Turnover among certified nursing assistants at long-term care facilities will be a top priority for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services going forward, a top agency official pledged Tuesday.
Despite progress, nursing homes expected to fall short of 75% staff vaccination goal
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 23, 2021
There’s still much progress needed for long-term care industry providers to meet their self-imposed goal of getting three-quarters of all nursing home workers vaccinated against COVID-19 by this time...
CMS eyes 8% revenue increase for Medicare Advantage
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 04, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is forecasting a nearly 8% increase in revenue for Medicare Advantage plans next year. The agency released its 2023 advance notice earlier this week.
COVID testing requirements relaxed for fully vaccinated nursing home workers, residents
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 28, 2021
Fully vaccinated nursing home workers and other healthcare personnel who are asymptomatic can be exempt from expanded COVID-19 testing under new recommendations unveiled Tuesday by the Centers for Disease...
Pressure mounting on CMS to exclude COVID vaccination data in quality reporting
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 18, 2021
More long-term care stakeholders are calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to ditch its proposal to expand the Skilled Nursing Facility Quality Reporting Program to include staff COVID-19...
BREAKING: CMS ends nurse aide certification waiver, many other COVID-19 allowances
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 07, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is restoring training requirements for nurse aides who work at skilled nursing facilities after waiving them early during the COVID-19 crisis.
$3T stimulus proposal calls for MFAR delay, 14% FMAP increase, $500M SNF ‘strike team’ fund
By
Danielle Brown
May 14, 2020
A Medicaid proposal that providers say could cut up to $50 billion nationwide from the program annually would be barred from being finalized during the coronavirus pandemic under a $3 trillion stimulus...
Proposed 9% cut to therapy ‘potentially devastating’
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 05, 2020
A proposal to cut 9% from Medicare payments for physical and occupational therapy under the federal government’s Proposed Physician Fee Schedule Rule for 2021 could potentially have a “devastating...
Providers told to prepare for Monday’s vaccine deadline despite mandate injunction
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 02, 2021
Meeting Monday’s first-shot deadline for the federal government’s healthcare worker vaccine mandate is in nursing homes’ best interests, despite a temporary injunction that halted the rule nationwide...
CMS ‘heartless’ for its big nursing home pay cut proposal
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 12, 2022
Providers are struggling with the federal government’s “heartless” decision to decrease pay for SNFs by $320 million in fiscal 2023.