VHA to cover new Alzheimer’s drug Leqembi, despite CMS’s restraint
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 14, 2023
The Veterans Health Administration will provide coverage for the recently approved drug lecanemab (Leqembi) to qualified veterans with early Alzheimer’s disease. It’s a surprise move considering...
CMS to begin audits for schizophrenia coding, says citations will affect quality ratings
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 19, 2023
The agency will start auditing nursing homes this month to determine whether residents’ schizophrenia diagnoses are accurate and appropriately coded. A pattern of inaccurate coding may result in a quality...
Senior care association opens free COVID test kit program to all providers
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 09, 2023
Industry advocate LeadingAge is now offering free test kits to long-term care providers in all care settings and communities.
Senior care scores some wins in congressional budget deal
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 21, 2022
A Congressional spending package for fiscal year 2023 supports key healthcare policy requests important to long-term care industry stakeholders, saving some clinicians and services from feared cuts.
Clinical briefs for Tuesday, Dec. 6
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 06, 2022
Having a sense of purpose can lower the risk of death from any cause … New nursing home quality coalition Moving Forward requests feedback … Researchers granted $7.3M from CDC to study long COVID …...
Symptomless COVID infections found in almost half of US adults, CDC says
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 05, 2022
Approximately 44% of US adults were “possibly asymptomatically infected,” between August 2021 and May 2022, blood serum evidence shows.
Paxlovid cuts COVID hospitalization, which may leave older adults weakened
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 02, 2022
The CDC reports that COVID patients treated with the antiviral Paxlovid have a 51% lower risk of hospitalization, while another study has tied acute-care stays to muscle loss and long COVID.
Stanford to test antiviral pills as long COVID treatment
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 28, 2022
Investigators plan to test whether the antiviral drug Paxlovid will relieve symptoms of the syndrome known as long COVID, also called post-acute sequelae of COVID-19.
Weight loss in early Parkinson’s linked to cognitive decline
Oct 20, 2022
Patients who lose weight within a year of their Parkinson’s diagnosis have a significantly faster decline in Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores, investigators report.
Clinical briefs for Monday, Oct. 17
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 17, 2022
CDC reports higher-than-normal flu cases, upticks in Southeast and South-Central U.S. … Long COVID found among 29% of survivors, women and severely ill most affected … Biden to sign order aiming to...