CMS begins posting nursing home COVID-19 booster data
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 10, 2022
Nursing home COVID-19 booster vaccination data is now being posted online by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which called the move an effort to “improve transparency” for consumers.
16 states file new lawsuit against healthcare worker COVID vaccine mandate
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 08, 2022
Sixteen states are making another push to stop the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers nearly a month after the Supreme Court upheld the regulation.
Vaccine campaigns weren’t effective in increasing rates among SNF residents, staff
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 03, 2022
COVID-19 vaccination campaigns with multiple components — such as town hall meetings, educational materials and gifts — did not significantly boost uptake rates among skilled nursing staff, according...
CMS memo: ‘Dramatic staff losses’ not happening due to vax requirements
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 02, 2022
Declaring once again that “Vaccine requirements work,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on Tuesday urged healthcare facility administrators to increase...
Governors ask for limited waivers on vaccine mandate
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 02, 2022
A pair of Republican governors have asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for temporary relief from the healthcare worker COVID-19 vaccine mandate for rural providers and state-run facilities.
Providers must change treatment of healthcare workers to survive COVID-19 storm, avert ‘implosion’
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 01, 2022
The likelihood that long-term care and other providers survive severe staffing shortages and COVID-19 crisis will depend on their ability to change how healthcare workers are treated so they can continue...
First vaccine deadline arrives for healthcare workers in half the nation
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 28, 2022
Surveyors can now evaluate long-term care providers’ compliance with a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate covering healthcare workers in half of the United States. Many long-term care providers are ready...
CMS: Only fully vaccinated surveyors should be part of onsite survey teams
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 26, 2022
Surveyors who are not fully vaccinated and don’t have a COVID-19 vaccine exemption should not participate as part of the onsite survey team when inspecting certified providers, according to the Centers...
New employment rules offer nursing homes short-term fixes
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 25, 2022
Rules about who can work in nursing homes under what circumstances are changing across the country as providers continue to grapple with unprecedented staffing challenges.
A warning if you accepted Provider Relief Funds: Prepare to be audited
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 20, 2022
Skilled nursing providers who accepted Provider Relief Funds should prepare for widespread audits by later this year.