HHS releasing another $413 million in Provider Relief Funds
By
Danielle Brown
Mar 23, 2022
Nursing homes waiting for COVID-19 relief payments now have another opportunity to receive them after the federal government announced it would distribute another $413 million from the Provider Relief...
CMS memo: ‘Dramatic staff losses’ not happening due to vax requirements
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 02, 2022
Declaring once again that “Vaccine requirements work,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on Tuesday urged healthcare facility administrators to increase...
Study links 3 key risk factors to coronavirus deaths among older adults
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 10, 2020
The findings could help clinicians better identify high-risk individuals, say investigators.
Biden urged to end public health emergency — what’s at stake
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 15, 2022
A group of Republican lawmakers have called on President Joe Biden to end the COVID-19 public health emergency designation now that there’s more access to vaccines and effective treatments to combat...
$2T stimulus package a good first step, but more ‘likely’ needed, long-term care leaders say
By
Danielle Brown
Mar 27, 2020
Providers are calling a $2 trillion economic stimulus package a good first step but quickly add that long-term care operators are going to need a bigger slice for an adequate coronavirus response.
Providers tell CMS it’s ‘decidedly’ the wrong time to toy with PDPM rates
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 03, 2021
Providers need more time before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would implement any adjustments to PDPM payment rates, operators and associations have told the agency in official comments.
FDA advisers support full approval of Paxlovid for at-risk older adults
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 16, 2023
The antiviral drug Paxlovid should receive full FDA approval to treat COVID-19 in older adults at risk of severe outcomes, the advisers decided in a Thursday vote.
Alzheimer’s blood biomarkers not ready for primary care use, expert panel decides
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 18, 2022
An international group of clinicians and researchers have agreed that Alzheimer’s disease blood biomarkers are a significant breakthrough, but are not yet ready for general clinical and primary care...
‘Not a shock:’ MedPAC considering 5% pay cut for SNFs
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 14, 2021
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is leaning toward recommending a 5% pay cut for skilled nursing facilities in fiscal 2021 after a new report found that Medicare margins may indicate SNF pay rates...
State providing staffing support in mandate’s wake, despite critical media reports
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 08, 2021
New York officials are “proactively working” with long-term care providers experiencing staffing shortages tied to the pandemic and the state’s new COVID-19 vaccination mandate, according to a top...