Verma: Feds to prioritize nursing homes with three or more COVID-19 cases for point-of-care tests
By
Liza Berger
Danielle Brown
Jul 15, 2020
The federal government will prioritize nursing homes with three or more coronavirus cases during the initial distribution of point-of-care COVID-19 tests.
With new CDC guidance, providers duck ‘up-to-date’ vaccination concerns
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 27, 2022
While masking and screening of nursing home workers and visitors may no longer be required in areas with lower COVID-19 transmission rates, vaccination and testing efforts will be crucial if providers...
How do we know if we know what we don’t know?
By
Steven Levenson
Sep 08, 2023
The amount of knowledge and skill involved in complying with the OBRA regulations is monumental. Every topic, from pressure injury prevention to behavior management, has many tec hnical details and clinical...
Providers fear more flu vaccine reporting burdens
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 21, 2022
Providers worry they might not have enough time to fully comply with a mandatory flu vaccination reporting measure for workers if the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services moves forward as proposed.
Oh where, oh where have the annual surveys gone?
By
Jessica Curtis
Jul 16, 2021
During the height of the pandemic, annual surveys of skilled nursing facilities understandably skidded to a stop. Flash forward to August 2020, when the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services directed...
CMS reducing vaccine mandate compliance surveys
By
Danielle Brown
Jun 16, 2022
Inspectors for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will no longer check for provider compliance with the staff COVID-19 vaccine mandate during all surveys.
AHCA to White House: Nursing home staffing mandate spells ‘disaster’
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 12, 2023
A federal nursing home staffing mandate would be “impossible to implement” and a “disaster,” especially for seniors on Medicaid, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted...
Jimmo correction: Assistants may provide maintenance services in skilled nursing facilities
By
Tim Mullaney
Jan 17, 2014
Skilled nursing facilities may be reimbursed for maintenance therapy services performed by assistants, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services clarified in a recent Medicare Benefit Policy manual...
Risk-bearing execs: Operators need to ‘make some noise’ to make some money
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 10, 2021
Skilled nursing providers looking to take on risk for long-term viability need to start getting creative, warn two executives in the business of connecting payers and providers in value-based partnerships.
CMS completes minimum staffing study; targeting ‘onerous’ MA authorizations
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 25, 2023
Two proposed rules should help patients improve their Medicare Advantage plan selections while standardizing expectations for skilled nursing and other healthcare providers, federal officials reiterated...