How QIOs, strike teams helped in COVID-19 trenches with majority of nursing homes
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 04, 2021
Federal strike teams and quality improvement contractors, acting in expanded roles, helped reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by guiding interventions at more than half of all U.S. nursing homes, said...
Providers welcome Biden’s nomination of Brooks-LaSure as next CMS leader
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 22, 2021
President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is being welcomed by long-term care providers.
CMS details 5 new scenarios that trigger infection control-focused surveys
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 06, 2021
Multiple weeks with new coronavirus cases or low staffing are among the additional scenarios that will trigger a focused infection control survey at a nursing home, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
CMS: Calculations for nursing home inspection ratings will resume in late January
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 07, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will resume calculating nursing homes’ health inspection ratings starting on Jan. 27, 2021, the agency announced in a memo Friday.
Feds uncover coronavirus’s heavy toll on assisted living
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 20, 2020
As of Oct. 15, 22% of assisted living communities in 39 states reported cases of COVID-19 among residents and staff members. Rates ranged widely, from 1.3% of communities in Iowa to 93% of Connecticut...
1 in 8 nursing home workers have completed COVID-19 training program, CMS says
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 18, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is calling for more nursing home staff members to complete its new training program designed to help stop the spread of COVID-19.
CMS: A quarter of Medicare recipients skipped needed healthcare during pandemic
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 21, 2020
Fully 21% of beneficiaries have forgone needed healthcare for something other than COVID-19. Nearly half say they did not want to risk being at a medical facility, according to CMS.
Verma: CMS to ensure free COVID vaccine for seniors, Medicaid beneficiaries
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 16, 2020
The agency has a plan to expedite the new coverage and will provide more information before the end of October, Verma said. CMS is also working on appropriate Medicare fees for administration of potential...
Nursing homes face threats of citations, penalties if they restrict visitor access without good cause
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 18, 2020
Providers who fail to facilitate in-person visitations “without a reasonable clinical or safety cause” could be cited and face other penalties under new guidance issued Thursday by the Centers for...
The head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stressed the need for repeated testing among staff members to stop the spread of COVID-19 in nursing homes.