CMS adds enhanced barrier precautions to infection control guidance
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 22, 2024
Nursing homes must begin to use enhanced barrier precautions to prevent broader transmission of multidrug-resistant organisms and to help protect patients with chronic wounds and indwelling devices, the...
Opt-in COVID vaccine program kicks off; Feds partner with CVS, Walgreens
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 19, 2020
Long-term care facilities nationwide can voluntarily opt in to a free pharmacy partnership program that will provide and administer future COVID-19 vaccines on site, federal officials announced Friday.
Providers to report COVID infections in 12 hours or face $1k fines, CMS says
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 21, 2020
Nursing homes will face fines of “at least” $1,000 per week for not reporting COVID-19 infections within 12 hours of learning about them, federal regulators said Monday.
CDC: Reduce citations with these antibiotic stewardship tools
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 05, 2021
Long-term care providers constantly being cited for lapses in antibiotic stewardship should adopt antibiotic-use protocols to improve adherence to federal infection control guidelines, according to a new...
CDC hopes $500 million will bring nursing homes, surveyors closer
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 04, 2021
Federal health leaders and long-term care stakeholders are hopeful that a new $500 million nursing home strike team program will be a collaborative partnership between providers and inspectors that reduces...
CDC: Prior infection plus vaccination tied to lower COVID-19 case rates
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 20, 2022
A new public health study suggests not only that vaccination protects against developing severe illness, but that surviving a bout with COVID-19 prevents reinfection, investigators say.
CDC data reveal drug types most linked to emergency department visits among seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 06, 2021
Emergency department visits for medication harm to older adults most frequently involve prescribed anticoagulants and diabetes drugs, according to a new federal study.
Nursing homes confront new challenges with younger residents
Jan 10, 2011
The numbers of nursing home residents under the age of 65 has grown 22% in the last eight years. This is largely due to the closing of mental health facilities and medical advances that help individuals...
Ask the care expert … about infection prevention resources for families
By
Sherrie Dornberger
Feb 01, 2024
As a new infection preventionist at our skilled care facility, what information should I be giving the families when someone is admitted to make them more aware of their own responsibilities with infection...
CDC: Full-time, trained staff needed to oversee COVID-19 prevention
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 30, 2020
Nursing facilities with 100 or more residents and operators who provide dialysis or ventilator care should have at least one trained infection preventionist on-site, according to new federal guidance.