Officials: More additions and rebasings of nursing home ratings to come
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 23, 2015
Nearly one-third of the nation’s skilled nursing facilities lost a rating star due purely to administrative changes Friday, when regulators also emphasized that more quality measures will be added...
Trump wants masks on all nursing home workers, temperature checks for all, and separate COVID-19 units
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 03, 2020
Jarred by the rapid spread of COVID-19 among fragile nursing home residents, the Trump administration on Thursday issued a new set of “critical recommendations” to operators and their governing entities.
BREAKING: CMS nursing home staffing mandate in question after study leaks
By
James M. Berklan
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 29, 2023
The accidental online posting Tuesday afternoon of a study commissioned by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services seems to indicate that the White House’s grand plans for a first-ever nursing home...
CMS drops ‘enormous’ MDS changes in surprise move
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 06, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services surprised nursing home operators Friday by quietly posting a draft of updated Minimum Data Set specifications.
The full impact of PDPM on therapists remains unknown
By
James M. Berklan
Nov 11, 2019
Immediate fallout from the start of the Patient Driven Payment Model led therapy advocates to complain to federal authorities about layoffs and other adverse effects. But stakeholders on all sides agreed...
[UPDATED] BREAKING: CMS proposes 4.1 percent nursing homes pay boost; staffing minimum not addressed
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 29, 2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Thursday proposed a 4.1% pay increase for nursing homes in fiscal 2025 but declined to issue an update on its staffing minimum proposal as part of its annual...
McKnight’s Flash Survey: Providers’ biggest struggles: missing workers, lack of PPE
By
James M. Berklan
May 01, 2020
An expanding coronavirus pandemic continued to devastate the long-term care sector on numerous fronts throughout the end of March and April, even before stories of massive numbers of deaths in facilities...
Consumers seek fast end of COVID-era nurse aide waiver
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 01, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has faced rising pressure to end a pandemic-related temporary waiver of some nurse aide training requirements.
Show them the money? No, give them more staff: McKnight’s survey reveals nursing home leaders’ new...
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 09, 2021
The depth of the staffing crisis in nursing homes around the U.S. can be summarized in one observation: Far more industry leaders now say adding staff would improve their personal job satisfaction more...
Skilled nursing angst, grit emerge after PHE end date announced
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 01, 2023
Nursing home leaders were scrambling to understand the full implications of the newly announced end to the public health emergency while also making plans to fight the return of some less flexible conditions.