CMS wallops nursing homes with planned staffing requirements and increased penalties … FDA ups recommended dose of Evusheld monoclonal antibody treatment … Addressing residents’ kidney health an...
CDC revises public indoor mask guidance; no changes yet for healthcare settings
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 28, 2022
Fewer Americans are currently advised to wear masks under a new risk assessment that relies on local hospital capacity and cases rather than COVID-19 transmission rates. LeadingAge is calling on the CDC...
Advance care planning rose dramatically among minorities through intervention, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 25, 2022
Older patients were more likely to record their end-of-life care wishes when they watched educational videos and received clinical counsel during the pandemic, a new study finds. Documentation among Black...
Ouch: Falls injuries continue to rise among U.S. seniors, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 24, 2022
Despite ongoing prevention efforts, falls injury rates are increasing by 1.5% annually among older adults, Medicare claims show. Limitations in long-term care coverage don’t help, investigators say.
Supreme Court won’t review healthcare workers’ challenge to Maine vaccine mandate
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 23, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court has declined to hear arguments in a lawsuit that would allow healthcare workers to apply for religious exemptions to Maine’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Medical experts devise list of low-value drugs, prescribing practices
By
Caroline Szachnowski
Feb 22, 2022
Researchers have proposed a new metric for identifying low-value medication prescribing in older adults, according to a recent article in JAMA Network Open.
Nearly all high-touch surfaces in LTC are contaminated, study finds
By
Amy Novotney
Feb 18, 2022
More than 90% of “high-touch” surfaces in long-term care facilities, including handrails and equipment controls, are contaminated with fecal matter and other potential sources of infectious...
Clinical briefs for Friday, Feb. 18
By
Amy Novotney
Feb 18, 2022
CDC reforming COVID-19 guidance … Nearly three-quarters of the U.S. now estimated to be immune to omicron variant … Brain synapse destruction culprit behind Alzheimer’s cognitive decline … Treatment...
Pandemic has eroded patient safety gains, researchers argue
By
Amy Novotney
Feb 17, 2022
The COVID-19 pandemic significantly degraded the strides made over the last two decades in improving patient safety, particularly in long-term care, according to CMS and the CDC. In response, APIC has...
Antipsychotic reduction in LTC leads to drug substitutions, more delusions diagnoses
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 16, 2022
Antipsychotic reduction in long-term care facilities likely results in significant unintended fallout, new data from Canada show. The results mirror those of similar studies in the United States, with...