Opt-in COVID vaccine program kicks off; Feds partner with CVS, Walgreens
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 19, 2020
Long-term care facilities nationwide can voluntarily opt in to a free pharmacy partnership program that will provide and administer future COVID-19 vaccines on site, federal officials announced Friday.
Providers: We need more PPE, testing to ‘fully comply’ with latest CMS guidance
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 06, 2020
Providers won’t be able to “realistically implement” new guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services until they have enough personal protective equipment and access to testing, advocates...
Providers to report COVID infections in 12 hours or face $1k fines, CMS says
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 21, 2020
Nursing homes will face fines of “at least” $1,000 per week for not reporting COVID-19 infections within 12 hours of learning about them, federal regulators said Monday.
Keeping workers will be biggest struggle for nursing homes as pandemic persists, national policy expert...
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 30, 2020
Workforce challenges that have plagued long-term care operators during the coronavirus pandemic will get worse as the crisis further progresses this year, one of the nation’s top health policy analysts...
Inadequate referral processing for COVID-19 patients may hinder proper transitions of care
By
John Harrison
Jun 28, 2020
As COVID-19 has stretched many acute care hospitals to the breaking point, skilled nursing facilities and long-term care providers are being looked upon to free up hospital capacity. This is a tremendous...
BREAKING: CMS says all healthcare staff must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 04, 2021
Long-term care staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 under a new healthcare worker vaccination rule released early Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
BREAKING 2: It’s official: Nursing homes must vaccinate employees or lose Medicaid, Medicare funding
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 18, 2021
President Joe Biden announced late Wednesday afternoon that U.S. nursing homes must use workers vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing vital Medicare and Medicaid funding.
OnPointe CEO: Pandemic should be catalyst for payment changes, shedding ‘wrong strategy’
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 29, 2021
Some look at the ongoing COVID-19 crisis and question how they can make their buildings safer. Eric Tanner, CEO of transitional and skilled care specialist OnPointe, sees the crisis as a launching point...
This too shall pass! PALTC is united
By
Arif Nazir, MD, CMD
Mar 30, 2020
When a crisis hits, besides shedding light on the system gaps, it also highlights the strengths of a community. The stresses of the novel coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) have clearly highlighted the many...
Nursing homes and assisted living facilities: Federal scrutiny expected to continue
By
Margaret E. Daum
Kristina Arianina
Callan Smith
Oct 05, 2020
While COVID-19 infections are widespread, the virus disproportionately affects the nation’s most vulnerable populations, including seniors. According to an updated estimate from two healthcare experts,...