Initial COVID-19 vaccine booster rollout will affect 3 percent of U.S. population, officials say
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 13, 2021
The FDA is working with drugmakers Pfizer and Moderna to allow fully vaccinated immunocompromised people to receive an extra shot. Long-term care residents are not yet included in the booster campaign,...
Therapists, take note! FY 2022 changes in PDPM ICD-10
By
Renee Kinder
Aug 12, 2021
The long-awaited final rule for FY 2022 provided updates in payment rates, wage index, value-based purchasing, quality reporting and a pause to the anticipated parity adjustment. Of equal interest, we...
Breakthrough COVID-19 cases are increasing, but experts say deadly outbreaks aren’t inevitable
By
Kimberly Marselas
Aug 12, 2021
Eight months and thousands of vaccinations made an “amazing” difference in two COVID-19 outbreaks at Masonicare’s Wallingford, CT, campus.
California nursing home visitors must show proof of COVID-19 vaccination
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2021
The state is requiring that all indoor visitors to skilled nursing facilities and other healthcare settings prove full vaccination or negative SARS-CoV-2 test results. Facility operators must have a plan...
Americans’ high trust in doctors, nurses could strengthen vaccination push, pollsters say
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 12, 2021
Fully 7 in 10 Americans trust their doctors, nurses and pharmacists to “do what’s right for them and their families either most or all of the time,” the researchers say. The findings cut across political...
More than half of personnel at LTCFs fully vaccinated for COVID-19
Jul 30, 2021
56.8 percent of HCP are fully vaccinated, with coverage higher for physicians and advanced practice providers than for nurses, aides
Key CDC advisers set to scrutinize evidence for vaccine booster shots
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 11, 2021
The question of whether a COVID-19 booster shot will be helpful and safe may receive an answer Friday. That is when the CDC’s top vaccine advisers will meet to review updated evidence for recommending...
Residents’ lack of energy may signal malnutrition; full assessment advised
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 10, 2021
In a study of 13 nursing homes, fully 43% of residents reported that they lacked energy, and 12% were malnourished. The two problems were significantly linked, investigators say.
Nursing home vaccine mandates: Damned if you do, damned if you don’t
By
Kevin Lawrence
Aug 09, 2021
Many people might not fully realize what long-term care operators are facing when it comes to whether to require COVID-19 vaccinations as a condition of employment. Here’s a breakdown in simple terms....
SNF residents could go to front of a booster shot line, but clinic approach needs to change, expert says
By
Danielle Brown
Alicia Lasek
Aug 09, 2021
COVID-19 booster shots are being fast-tracked for approval by federal health officials, and residents in nursing homes could be among the first to receive them.