Providers shake off gloomy forecasts with pride, optimism
By
James M. Berklan
May 11, 2016
First, the crowd of top-flight nursing home operators took the punch to the gut in silence. Then, they shed the stoicism and got even.
Most nursing home visits banned as part of federal COVID-19 strategy
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 15, 2020
Exceptions include healthcare workers, surveyors and those in compassionate care situations.
BREAKING: CMS announces shift to broadly expand telehealth Medicare coverage to nursing home beneficiaries,...
By
James M. Berklan
Mar 17, 2020
The federal government is stripping away barriers to Medicare telehealth coverage as a frontline response to the coronavirus outbreak, which feeds on person-to-person contact and has proven deadliest for...
Is it the docs’ turn to get stoned?
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 25, 2018
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services brought out its equivalent of a brass band and confetti machine Tuesday to tout a new provider payment strategy. One could almost hear strains of “Happy...
Judge slaps nationwide freeze on healthcare worker COVID vax mandate
By
James M. Berklan
Dec 01, 2021
A Louisiana federal judge on Tuesday granted a preliminary injunction against the Biden administration’s mandate that says all healthcare workers involved in the Medicare or Medicaid programs must be...
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.
CMS lowers pay hike for skilled nursing facilities to 1.2%
By
James M. Berklan
Jul 31, 2015
Medicare skilled nursing facilities would get a net 1.2% pay increase — totaling $430 million — in fiscal 2016 under a final rule issued by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services late Thursday.
CMS releases additional direction on transferring, discharging coronavirus residents
By
Danielle Brown
James M. Berklan
Apr 14, 2020
Certified long-term care facilities looking to transfer or discharge residents between themselves for the purposes of cohorting do not need additional approval to do so, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
White House creates national nursing home safety panel, will deliver 2 weeks’ worth of PPE to every...
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 30, 2020
President Trump and Seema Verma (left) announced the formation of a nursing home task force Thursday afternoon.
BREAKING: Feds expand COVID vaccine mandate to all healthcare workers
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 09, 2021
Staff in all Medicare- and Medicaid-certified facilities will soon be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced Thursday afternoon.