CMS releases county COVID data for staff testing requirements
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 08, 2020
Providers can now check how often they’ll be required to test staff members for COVID-19 after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services released county coronavirus data last week.
UPDATED: Healthcare worker vaccine mandate back on for 26 states
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 16, 2021
Long-term care providers in 26 states will still have to comply with a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate after a federal appeals court on Wednesday reversed a nationwide block against the rule.
HHS extends coverage for COVID-19 screening at nursing homes
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 01, 2020
Nursing homes in states that prohibit the use of point-of-care COVID-19 tests to screen for the disease can now do so after the Department of Health and Human Services extended coverage to include congregate...
New CMS guidance allows focused COVID testing during outbreak investigations
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 13, 2021
Updated guidance released Friday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services gives nursing homes more options for conducting a COVID-19 outbreak investigation after a positive test occurs.
Proposal would require HHS to create nursing home strike teams for infection control
By
Danielle Brown
Jul 29, 2020
The Department of Health and Human Services would have to develop strike teams that would help nursing homes test residents for COVID-19 and assist with infection control practices under the GOP’s newly...
BREAKING: CMS says all healthcare staff must be fully vaccinated by Jan. 4
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 04, 2021
Long-term care staff must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by Jan. 4 under a new healthcare worker vaccination rule released early Thursday by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
OIG partly blames CMS for Life Care Centers deficiencies
By
Joe Bush
Sep 20, 2022
A federal watchdog said a lack of communication by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may have caused infection control deficiency citations at Life Care Centers of America nursing homes between...
One-time universal testing at nursing homes would cost $440M, AHCA says; most nursing homes on track...
By
Danielle Brown
May 21, 2020
Just one round of testing every nursing home resident and staff member would cost about $440 million nationwide, according to data released Wednesday by the American Health Care Association/National Center...
Not so fast: Providers must check to make sure their state permits POC COVID-19 testing devices, guidance...
By
Liza Berger
Jul 31, 2020
As nursing homes wait for point-of care testing instruments and supplies to arrive from the federal government, they first should make sure they are complying with state public health guidelines regarding...
Feds’ proposal to extend COVID-19 waivers would keep some telehealth expansions but could deliver rehab...
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 04, 2020
As expected and hoped for by many healthcare providers, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Monday proposed permanently adopting some telehealth and therapy coverage expansions during the COVID-19...