Feds giving providers $2 billion more for COVID expenses — $25 billion more requested
By
Danielle Brown
Jan 27, 2022
Another $2 billion in Provider Relief Funds is becoming available starting this week, federal health officials said.
COVID-19 more than twice as likely to spread with heavy agency staffing onsite, study shows
By
James M. Berklan
Jan 27, 2022
Senior care facilities that rely significantly on mobile agency staffing may be two and a half times more likely to spread COVID-19 to residents than those with more stable staffing, a Scottish study has...
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...
FDA halts use of REGEN-COV, Eli Lilly monoclonal antibodies
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 26, 2022
The Food and Drug Administration has revoked its emergency use authorizations for two monoclonal antibody cocktails that have served as COVID-19 treatment mainstays in long-term care facilities.
It’s official: Omicron causes less severe COVID-19 illness than prior variants, CDC study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 26, 2022
The SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant is much less likely to cause severe illness and death than its predecessors, according to a new analysis of U.S. data from December 2020 through mid-January 2022.
Dietary protein often too high in seniors with kidney disease, nephrologists say
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 26, 2022
Study results underscore the need for a thorough nutritional review and intervention in this population, investigators say.
Clinical briefs for Wednesday, Jan. 26
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 26, 2022
OSHA to withdraw COVID-19 vaccine mandate … Infected CNAs recount going to work sick at short-staffed California nursing homes … Trail of loss is following omicron’s peak … Pfizer working on a...
It’s possible to put workers first without breaking the system
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jan 26, 2022
The demands on nursing home staff (and their right to demand more for themselves) threaten to break the system. But it doesn’t have to be that way.
FDA expands use of remdesivir to skilled nursing, other non-hospital settings
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 25, 2022
Remdesivir, the first FDA-approved COVID-19 drug, now can be used in adult and pediatric patients with mild-to moderate COVID-19 illness at high risk of progressing to severe disease, the agency has announced.
NIH panel updates treatment guidelines for non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 25, 2022
A new recommended treatments list addresses the omicron variant’s current dominance and drug supply shortages.