Providers promote long-term care for funding in next stimulus package as Congress reconvenes
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 09, 2020
Additional relief for long-term care in the next coronavirus stimulus package will be key to ensuring the safety of residents and workers, the nation’s largest nursing home association emphasized again...
MedPAC explores permanent telehealth aspects for alternative payment models
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 09, 2020
Members of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission are in favor of allowing more telehealth flexibilities under alternative payment models — beyond provisions introduced because of the coronavirus public...
A road trip to remember
By
Liza Berger
Sep 09, 2020
A recent road trip made me think we may beat this pandemic yet. But we do have a ways to go still.
FDA clears DiaSorin test that differentiates between COVID, flu
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 08, 2020
DiaSorin has received U.S. approval for its Simplexa Flu A/B & RSV Direct Gen II kit, which can be used to differentiate between cases of influenza and COVID-19.
Vitamin D deficiency may nearly double coronavirus risk, study finds
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 08, 2020
Researchers determined that the relative risk of testing positive for COVID-19 was 1.77 times greater for patients with a deficiency of the vitamin compared with those who had a sufficient supply.
Clinical briefs for Wednesday, Sept. 9
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 08, 2020
Unusual pledge by 9 major drug companies seeks to reassure public on COVID-19 vaccine safety … Dizziness upon standing may predict later dementia … Study: Excess weight increases dementia risk by...
With POC testing strategy, federal government continues to respond poorly to COVID-19 in nursing homes
By
Brendan Williams
Sep 08, 2020
In the federal government’s fight against COVID-19, nursing homes have effectively been left for dead. Despite a death count that began with the February outbreak in a Kirkland, Washington, nursing...
COVID-19 management: an executive’s firsthand experience
By
Darrin Hull
Sep 08, 2020
It was the call that every post-acute care operator most feared and that many ultimately received since early March — multiple positive results following housewide COVID-19 testing of residents. That...
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.
Lab’s COVID testing errors ‘sowed fear,’ cost operators tens of thousands of dollars
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 08, 2020
Some nursing home operators were forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars and face staffing shortages following testing errors by a Massachusetts laboratory.