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...
Feds ramp up nursing home sanctions for poor care performance
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 24, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will more aggressively enforce accountability in its Special Focus Facilities (SFF) Program, the Biden Administration said Friday.
Extend PHE while updating COVID protocols, nursing home advocate urges feds
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 10, 2022
Safety and quality of life in LTC settings are not mutually exclusive, Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL told federal health officials Tuesday.
Providers to feds: Ease up on ‘restrictive’ COVID recommendations to ease staffing crunch
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 30, 2022
The nation’s second largest nursing home association has asked the Department of Health and Human Services to reevaluate several of its COVID-19 recommendations for nursing homes, saying they restrict...
OIG: Older Medicare recipients often harmed during hospital stays
May 13, 2022
Fully 25% of older American Medicare beneficiaries are at high risk of being harmed during acute care stays, according to the HHS Office of the Inspector General.
Reforms could start sooner than one year, Becerra says in ‘monumental’ nursing home meeting
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 01, 2022
The federal government will meet or exceed a goal of implementing key nursing home reform measures within a year, Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday.
HHS pledges $103 million for worker burnout, shortages
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 24, 2022
The Biden administration is supplying $103 million in grants to help curb healthcare worker burnout and staffing shortages, the White House announced Friday.
Build vaccine trust, vaccination rates among CNAs: HHS releases guide
By
Alicia Lasek
May 25, 2021
A comprehensive new guide and toolkit are aimed at helping nursing home administrators tackle issues of vaccine hesitancy among certified nursing assistants, as well as barriers to vaccination.
COVID-19 strategies: WWOT (What would Oprah think?)
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 02, 2021
I have a message for the Department of Health and Human Services: “Boy, do you have a problem.”
HHS: Public health emergency, key funding and waivers likely to extend through 2021
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 26, 2021
A top federal health official has indicated that the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration will likely stay put throughout 2021 — securing a critical tool for long-term providers to help them...