COVID vaccine protects elderly; delivery program has buy-in from nearly all U.S. nursing homes
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 19, 2020
Fully 99% of skilled nursing facilities nationwide have signed on with the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program vaccine delivery initiative, HHS says. The news arrived just as Pfizer...
COVID test turnaround time tops 2 days for a third of nursing homes, data show
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 13, 2020
Among 13,000 facilities that provided their testing speed to the government, only 17% reported an average turnaround time of less than a day; and fully 29% waited three days or more on average for residents’...
Relaxed regulations lead to spike in telehealth use, nursing homes report
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 12, 2020
Continued telehealth expansion under Medicare will be good for residents’ well-being, and may help administrators keep pace with other healthcare sectors, according to the Columbia University School...
Paid work linked to reduced memory loss in older women
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 06, 2020
Beyond age 60, the rate of memory decline is slower in women who participated in the paid labor force than for women who did not, a new study finds. Marital or parenthood status had no effect on the results.
Don’t shelve rapid tests as COVID cases climb, advocates implore nursing homes
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 03, 2020
Industry advocates say it’s time for facility operators who have not made full use of rapid antigen tests to start doing so — before nursing home deaths begin to spike again. CMS must “take to...
Recovered COVID patients with sore throat, nasal symptoms still may test positive
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 29, 2020
Nearly 17% of hospitalized COVID patients who were considered fully recovered tested positive for the virus in follow-up screenings. Two telltale symptoms may suggest a need for repeat testing, investigators...
CDC: A third of healthcare workers hospitalized with COVID were treated in ICU
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 28, 2020
Six percent of adults hospitalized with COVID-19 early in the pandemic were healthcare workers. Fully 36% of these patients were in nursing-related occupations, and about a third became severely ill, the...
LTC, community pharmacies vie for role in federal COVID vaccine initiative
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 23, 2020
Nursing home and assisted living operators should talk with their existing pharmacy provider about their capability to participate in the federal government’s new COVID-19 vaccine delivery program,...
Clinical briefs for Friday, Oct. 23
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 23, 2020
Remdesivir becomes first fully FDA-approved COVID-19 treatment in U.S. … Soy consumption may decrease key risk factor for dementia … COVID mortality rate widening between U.S. and peer countries …...
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.