States need to step up with nurse aide waiver clearer, providers say
By
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 31, 2022
The formal extension of a waiver program that relaxes certification requirements for some nurse aides was widely embraced by providers a day after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced...
Most nursing home visits banned as part of federal COVID-19 strategy
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 15, 2020
Exceptions include healthcare workers, surveyors and those in compassionate care situations.
CMS guidance on healthcare worker rule stuck amid legal challenges
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 02, 2021
Further guidance on the federal government’s healthcare worker COVID-19 vaccine rule that was expected to be issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services within the next two weeks could be...
Judge rules nursing home residents can vote by video, while CMS emphasizes that providers must ensure...
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 07, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicare Services this week is reminding providers that they must ensure nursing home residents are able to exercise their right to vote during the upcoming presidential election...
‘Heartbreaking’: All contact with nursing home residents fell by more than half, study shows
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 14, 2020
Nursing home operators took limiting in-person contact with residents very seriously after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Visits of all kinds fell by 53% between March and April, new findings by...
Nursing homes, feds hide sky-high antipsychotic use with dubious diagnoses: report
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 20, 2021
At least one-fifth of nursing home residents are taking the drugs, many for schizophrenia, a diagnosis that has skyrocketed in these settings since 2012, a new investigation finds.
Panel on non-invasive ventilation seeks to simplify ‘maze’ of regulation for device coverage
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 20, 2021
Recommendations aimed at expediting CMS coverage determinations for non-invasive ventilation devices could help ensure that LTCF residents and others get quick access to lifesaving treatments.
CMS giving $165M more in Medicaid funding for home- and community-based care
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 24, 2020
The federal government is providing $165 million in supplemental funding to states for a longstanding Medicaid program designed to transition seniors from nursing homes and other institutions and into...
CMS urges: Start reviewing, planning and tracking staff COVID vaccinations now
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 08, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is calling on providers to immediately start reviewing the newly proposed healthcare worker COVID-19 vaccination regulation. They also should actually begin...
Is it the docs’ turn to get stoned?
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 25, 2018
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services brought out its equivalent of a brass band and confetti machine Tuesday to tout a new provider payment strategy. One could almost hear strains of “Happy...