It’s that time of year again when the Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) Editorial Panel meets with the task of ensuring its codes remain up to date.
COVID testing requirements relaxed for fully vaccinated nursing home workers, residents
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 28, 2021
Fully vaccinated nursing home workers and other healthcare personnel who are asymptomatic can be exempt from expanded COVID-19 testing under new recommendations unveiled Tuesday by the Centers for Disease...
CMS combing the data as it narrows PDPM adjustment targets
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 23, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has been monitoring and conducting “very comprehensive data analysis” to identify any trends or changes in provider behavior, payments and beneficiary care...
Spring cleaning 2021: Will your rehab team pass the white-glove review?
By
Renee Kinder
Apr 22, 2021
Spring is in the air. Time to open the doors, let some fresh air in, and clean above, under and between every surface in our homes. Spring is a season that allows my obsessive cleaning habits to become...
CDC guidance on post-vaccination plans at nursing homes could come this week; J&J pause not expected...
By
Danielle Brown
Apr 22, 2021
Federal officials said more infection control and prevention guidance regarding COVID-19 could be coming for nursing homes in the next several days. They also said they don’t expect the pause of Johnson...
The coming crackdown: COVID-19 and beyond
By
Karen Christian
Matthew Hittle
Apr 21, 2021
For more than a year, America’s nursing homes have been besieged by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has tragically claimed the lives of more than 130,000 residents and 1,600 staff. While America’s nursing...
Retaliation, recovery and ‘quasi’ justice featured in nursing home operator’s book
By
Brook Chambery
Apr 16, 2021
Many long-time McKnight’s readers will remember Beechwood Restorative Care Center and its $25 million victory against the state of New York. The settlement ended a 13-year war and one of the most egregious...
Stable LTC antipsychotic prescribing in 2020 may reflect success of U.S. reduction initiatives
By
Amy Novotney
Apr 16, 2021
University of Michigan researchers have found relatively minimal changes in central nervous system-active medication use among Michigan nursing home residents with dementia following the start of the COVID-19...
Is the doctor in? Improve nursing homes with one easy stroke
By
Kenneth Lehmann
Apr 14, 2021
Many nursing home COVID-19 patients would have benefitted from daily, reimbursed-for physician visits in their skilled nursing facilities, but they were not entitled to them. With an epic crisis...
CMS proposes 1.3% pay increase — with plenty of strings attached
By
Kimberly Marselas
Danielle Brown
Apr 09, 2021
A proposal that would boost Medicare payments to skilled nursing providers by 1.3% next fiscal year also could trigger additional reporting requirements and increase the potential for penalties.