BREAKING: CMS says all healthcare staff must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 04, 2021
Long-term care staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 under a new healthcare worker vaccination rule released early Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
BREAKING: CMS finalizes therapy pay cuts in 2022 Physician Pay Rule, and extends COVID reporting period
By
Danielle Brown
James M. Berklan
Nov 02, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services finalized a 15% payment reduction for physical and occupational therapy assistants, and extended temporary telehealth services added to Medicare during the...
McKnight’s Long-Term Care News Newsmakers Podcast with Leah Klusch
Oct 21, 2021
In some ways, added CMS oversight is going to make 2022 tougher than any year before it when it comes to compliance and payment matters, cautions top MDS educator Leah Klusch.
Take advantage of PDPM before it’s too late: experts
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 11, 2021
With the future of the Patient Driven Payment Model, at least as it’s currently constructed, up in the air, now is the time for providers to ensure they are accurately capturing resident needs and acuity...
Nursing homes, feds hide sky-high antipsychotic use with dubious diagnoses: report
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 20, 2021
At least one-fifth of nursing home residents are taking the drugs, many for schizophrenia, a diagnosis that has skyrocketed in these settings since 2012, a new investigation finds.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced late Thursday that it will delay adjustments to nursing homes’ Patient Driven Payment System pay rates until next year. It also will be giving providers...
Only 4 states have hit 75 percent LTC staff vaccination goal, new CMS data reveal
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 30, 2021
States that have achieved the industry’s June 30 goal are Hawaii, Vermont, Alaska and California, with staff member vaccination rates ranging from 83% to 75%. By contrast, the lowest-ranked state...
‘Keep it simple’ is just not in our nature
By
Steven Littlehale
Jun 28, 2021
I asked all the leadership at New Choice Nursing and Rehabilitation Center to bring me their department-specific resident assessment tools. They were to leave them on my desk by 5 p.m. When I returned...
BREAKING: New CMS rule requires LTC providers to report weekly COVID vaccine data, which will be made...
By
Danielle Brown
May 11, 2021
Long-term care facilities will be required to report weekly data on COVID-19 vaccination status for both residents and staff, and it will be made public, under a new federal rule released Tuesday.
‘High stakes’ as providers still face brisk infection control surveys, brace for return of standard...
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 10, 2021
Nursing homes across the country are still being hit with near-routine Focused Infection Control surveys, nine months after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced that surveyors should...