White House message on COVID-19 bivalent booster: ‘Don’t wait’
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Dec 12, 2022
Getting the updated bivalent COVID-19 booster is the single most important thing that older adults can do to protect their health, COVID-19 Response Coordinator Ashish Jha, MD, MPH, said during a White...
Opponents of the federal government’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers are pursuing two fresh pathways to defeat it. Both challenges cite the pandemic’s current, less critical stage...
Room for optimism, leader says, despite COVID-19 deaths, winter of uncertainty ahead
By
Joe Bush
Nov 29, 2022
Despite the rising proportion of COVID-19 deaths attributed to seniors and the uncertainty of what the winter months might bring, optimism found its way into Monday’s LeadingAge coronavirus update call.
White House announces big nursing home COVID-19 vaccination push and providers push back
By
Joe Bush
Nov 23, 2022
The Biden administration on Tuesday announced a six-week $475 million campaign to raise the COVID-19 vaccination rate among nursing home residents, and the sector’s leaders responded immediately with...
Providers warned: Ongoing relief fund audits may bring unprecedented info demands
By
Joe Bush
Nov 21, 2022
Provider Relief Fund audits have started in earnest, with the threat of federal investigators demanding more and different data than most skilled nursing providers have ever been asked to account for.
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...
Pharmacists want bigger role after providing pandemic staffing boost
By
Joe Bush
Nov 09, 2022
Pharmacists are yearning to expand on their success helping skilled nursing facilities during the pandemic, a top executive said Monday.
More flexible CMS vaccine mandate enforcement cheers providers
By
Joe Bush
Oct 28, 2022
Nursing home advocates Thursday cheered news that federal regulators are relaxing their instructions to surveyors when checking for staff compliance with a federal vaccine mandate.
Federal COVID cases with major LTC implications headed for November action
By
Kimberly Marselas
Oct 28, 2022
Two cases that could play a pivotal role in determining how well skilled nursing providers are protected by a federal COVID shield law are headed for important federal court dates.
NFID: Half of U.S. adults vulnerable to serious disease due to low flu vaccine uptake
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Oct 06, 2022
Flu season is about to ramp up in a big way, and experts are concerned that low numbers of adults seeking vaccination will leave many vulnerable to influenza and its complications.