House approves bill to streamline Medicare Advantage prior authorization process… Physician who worked with SNFs sentenced for Medicare foul-ups and letting employees issue prescriptions in his absence
Help for nursing homes? All we hear are crickets
By
Brendan Williams
Jul 11, 2022
Nursing homes were an early epicenter of the pandemic, as they were especially vulnerable to viral respiratory transmission due to chronic state Medicaid underfunding that kept infrastructure aged and...
LTC visitor data: Home health, hospice care held steady while family visits plummeted
By
Diane Eastabrook
May 04, 2022
An analysis of sign-ins at 6,000 SNFs and senior living facilities found that third-party care such as home health visits remained consistent during the pandemic, while family visits were curtailed.
The top long-term care news stories of 2021
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 26, 2021
Here’s a rundown of the top stories that McKnight’s Long-Term Care News readers opened over the past 12 months.
‘Not a shock:’ MedPAC considering 5% pay cut for SNFs
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 14, 2021
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is leaning toward recommending a 5% pay cut for skilled nursing facilities in fiscal 2021 after a new report found that Medicare margins may indicate SNF pay rates...
Few Medicare recipients enroll in cardiac rehab, despite expanded benefits
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 11, 2021
Cardiac rehab participation rose among Medicare recipients with heart failure after coverage expansion in 2014, but the numbers remain abysmally low at less than 10%, a new study has found.
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.
BREAKING: CMS to mandate COVID vaccines for nursing home staff
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 18, 2021
Nursing homes participating in the Medicare and Medicaid programs will be required to have all staff vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to continue receiving federal funding for the programs.
Clinical briefs for Monday, Aug. 9
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 09, 2021
Feds weigh withholding Medicare funding for LTCFs that don’t mandate vaccines … Physicians report 20% increase in burnout, new survey finds … Treatment of tenacious stomach bug that troubles elderly...
Federal proposal would permanently expand some Medicare telehealth services
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 15, 2021
Medicare nursing home residents would keep their access to some telehealth flexibilities adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic long after the public health crisis is over under a new proposal from a bipartisan...