COVID cases fall 82% in nursing homes; vaccination will help thwart variants, advocates say
By
Alicia Lasek
Mar 03, 2021
The steep drop in coronavirus cases over seven weeks is a sign that vaccinations are working and are the key to a normalized life for residents, the AHCA/NCAL says.
U.S., Canada ‘not that different’ in LTC staff response to pandemic work conditions: study
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 19, 2021
“We talk about how great Canada’s healthcare system is vis-à-vis that of the United States … but we are not that different when it comes to long-term care,” the researchers say.
J&J vaccine pause may be short, but deep concerns about staff hesitancy mounting
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 16, 2021
Two days after federal officials pressed pause on Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine, health and public policy leaders predicted it will return to use — but not without causing ongoing concern among...
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.
Two years into pandemic, we’re better prepared to fight off virus variants
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 02, 2021
Despite the threat of the quickly spreading and highly mutated omicron coronavirus variant — which has just landed in the U.S. — we are safer than we were before the pandemic, some experts say.
Major nursing home association urges COVID emergency extension, revised guidance
By
John Hall
Aug 10, 2022
The nation’s largest nursing home group has requested the federal government extend the current public health emergency declaration as providers continue their fight against emerging COVID variants.
SNFs have made great strides in preventing, treating COVID, docs say
By
Joe Bush
Oct 14, 2022
Nursing facilities are now highly skilled at preventing COVID-19 illness and staving off serious outcomes, said doctors in a panel discussion this week. But pandemic challenges linger.
Despite outsider-driven COVID outbreaks, providers face continued demand for risky visits
By
Kimberly Marselas
Alicia Lasek
Jan 07, 2022
Multiple providers have said that they are irritated that attempts to strengthen infection control measures are sometimes being undermined by facility visitors. “Nursing homes must be allowed to...