Partnerships with pharmacists increasingly important for complex resident needs, care transitions: experts
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 24, 2024
Building relationships and formal partnerships between long-term care providers and pharmacists is increasingly vital to managing resident care, experts said at a Moving Forward Nursing Home Quality Coalition...
New patient safety measures imminent as risk of harm evolves: CMS
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 10, 2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services remains acutely focused on patient harm and will introduce new measures addressing patient safety later this year, agency leaders said at an event in Baltimore...
EXTRA: CMS publishes rule outlining final staffing requirements
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 22, 2024
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said it would exempt nursing homes from having registered nurse coverage for up to 8 out of 24 hours a day “under certain circumstances,” unveiling...
Providers get another valuable tool to help cope after Change Healthcare cyberattack
By
Josh Henreckson
Mar 28, 2024
The federal government has taken another step to support long-term care providers struggling with delayed payments following the recent cyberattack on vital billing clearinghouse Change Healthcare.
Medicare Advantage rule finalizes independent appeals process, helping providers ‘stuck in the middle’
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 08, 2024
A final rule announced by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Thursday revised the appeals process for Medicare Advantage beneficiaries who have been denied coverage. The new rule should be a...
Cost, interpretation of new enhanced barrier precautions worry providers as rule kicks in
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 03, 2024
A new set of regulations requiring the use of enhanced barrier precautions for many nursing home patients has left providers scrambling to understand the rationale behind some standards and grappling with...
Balancing act: Dementia care needs to change for safe integration
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 12, 2024
The quality of life tradeoffs incurred due to tight safety protocols and isolation of nursing home residents during the COVID-19 pandemic demand more research and policy changes.
Nursing home staff, others fear CDC revisions to airborne transmission guidelines
By
Amy Maxmen, KFF Health News
Mar 21, 2024
Workers worry that the CDC is repeating past mistakes as it develops a crucial set of guidelines that hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and other facilities that provide health care will apply to control...
Providers grateful for certain opportunities in proposed 2025 Medicare pay rule
By
James M. Berklan
Apr 02, 2024
Even though debate will continue about how much Medicare reimbursement should rise next year, there’s little disagreement that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services got at least a few things right...
Nursing homes weigh pros, cons of new weight loss drugs as limited Medicare coverage kicks in
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 22, 2024
A recent decision by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to cover popular new weight loss drugs that provide additional health benefits could be a “game changer” for potentially thousands...