Why nurses are feeling the strain of COVID-19 and four things they can do about it
By
John Lee
Sep 14, 2020
While solutions to the coronavirus pandemic are still up in the air, data and personal testimony abounds on just how hard hit the medical community — in particular nurses —have been by COVID-19. As...
Allocation for COVID-19 vaccine should first hit nursing home workers and residents, national group says
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 05, 2020
Frontline healthcare workers, including those in nursing homes, should be in the first group to receive prioritization under a four-phase COVID-19 vaccination allocation framework released by a group of...
COVID-19 underscores PDPM advantages
By
Bent Philipson
Jan 27, 2021
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...
One quarter of SNFs stuck with Medicare margins below 4%
By
Danielle Brown
Jul 21, 2022
Medicare margins for all freestanding skilled nursing facilities across the United States varied widely in 2020, according to new data from the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.
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...
Risk of Alzheimer’s nearly doubles in seniors with COVID, analysis shows
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 15, 2022
The resulting wave of disease could further strain already limited long-term care resources, investigators say.
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...
Long-term care’s problems are bad and getting worse — but fixable
By
Stephen A. Moses
Oct 01, 2021
The long-term care business is hurting: labor shortages, wage pressures, vax mandates, too much Medicaid, too little private pay, value-based reimbursement, MedPAC vs. Medicare and so on and on. What should...