The efficacy of the Patient-Driven Payment Model has never been clearer than now, in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic. PDPM enabled skilled nursing facilities to see a 9% increase in Medicare reimbursement...
BREAKING: Nursing home commission makes 27 recommendations, calls for ‘greater leadership role’...
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 16, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released recommendations from the Coronavirus Commission on Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes on Wednesday and, as expected, they contain a laundry list of...
Officials direct providers to limit visitor access amid coronavirus concerns; polling places moved
By
Danielle Brown
Mar 11, 2020
While they are not calling for an outright ban on visitors, the federal government and the nation’s largest nursing home association are recommending that providers limit visitor access at facilities...
Makers of newer vaccines tout advantages as trial results and approvals announced
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 01, 2021
Two drugmakers say their vaccines, which include J&J’s one-dose candidate, are effective against new coronavirus variants, while AstraZeneca’s vaccine is now approved for adults across the...
CDC advisers: Long-term care workers, residents should receive first COVID-19 vaccinations
By
Alicia Lasek
Dec 02, 2020
An influential committee on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to recommend that healthcare personnel and residents in long-term care should be the very first recipients of COVID-19 vaccinations. The vote reflects...
Lack of unified action is killing our Greatest Generation
By
Scott McConnaha
Sep 28, 2020
If I were to propose that the Greatest Generation wasn’t really all that great, that those leading the fight during WWII didn’t know what they were doing or, worse, manipulating media messages in order...
Feds’ ‘dramatic expansion’ of telehealth widens payment coverage; HIPAA rules are relaxed for COVID-19
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 18, 2020
The federal government removed Medicare restrictions for telehealth coverage nationwide Tuesday while also temporarily relaxing HIPAA obligations for providers. The latter opens the door for doctors’...
HHS: Public health emergency, key funding and waivers likely to extend through 2021
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 26, 2021
A top federal health official has indicated that the COVID-19 public health emergency declaration will likely stay put throughout 2021 — securing a critical tool for long-term providers to help them...
‘Cash crunch’ ahead: Volume of hospital discharges to SNFs unlikely to rebound ‘any time soon,’...
By
Liza Berger
Oct 08, 2020
The volume of hospital discharges to skilled nursing facilities is not likely to return to anything like pre-pandemic levels in the near future, said Fred Bentley, managing director of Avalere, a healthcare...
BREAKING: Feds partner with CVS, Walgreens to provide pending COVID-19 vaccinations to all senior care...
By
James M. Berklan
Oct 16, 2020
Residents and workers of all long-term care settings will receive free vaccinations against the coronavirus onsite under a special public-private partnership with pharmaceutical giants CVS and Walgreens,...