Layering of fines amid state, federal staffing rule conflicts tops providers’ worry list
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 02, 2024
Providers in states that have recently increased their own nursing home staffing requirements may soon find themselves playing a complicated penalties and numbers game — and buried in additional paperwork.
Ensign Group goes on buying spree as it reports yet another record quarter
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 02, 2024
The Ensign Group on Wednesday announced a sweeping package of deals that will kickstart growth in one market, expand its footprint in five others and make the company a player in a new post-acute segment.
Nursing homes could get doubled incentive pay due to new performance metrics
By
Josh Henreckson
May 02, 2024
Nursing homes in New Jersey will have new opportunities for increased care quality incentive payments if a measure in the proposed state budget for fiscal year 2025 is approved. The proposal would nearly...
Nonprofit aims to train 3,500 CNAs in 2024, become national workforce model
By
Josh Henreckson
May 01, 2024
As long-term care providers confront a shrinking workforce, a new federal staffing mandate and a rapidly aging population, one nonprofit workforce development organization has set its sights on becoming...
State panel approves nursing home worker minimum wages, including $24 hourly for CNAs
By
Josh Henreckson
May 01, 2024
A Minnesota panel tasked with creating pay levels for nursing facilities approved a minimum wage for all nursing home workers Monday, following a concerted push from consumer advocates and union workers.
Regular COVID screening is a cost-effective way to save residents’ lives: JAMA
By
Josh Henreckson
Apr 29, 2024
Regularly screening nursing home residents for COVID is a cost-effective way to reduce infections and protect lives, especially when many residents are not up-to-date on vaccinations, according to a study...
Wait-and-see staffing rule exemptions meant to ‘safeguard’ residents: CMS
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 25, 2024
Skilled nursing providers will not have to go through a stand-alone application process to be exempted from provisions of a new federal staffing mandate, an official with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid...
Senate bill counts hospital ‘observation’ days toward time needed for skilled nursing coverage
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 25, 2024
A Senate bill introduced Wednesday would count days spent under ‘observation status’ in a hospital toward Medicare’s three-day qualifying stay requirement.
Providers: Staffing rule a CMS ‘fairy tale’ that will ‘exacerbate’ nursing home access issue
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 23, 2024
Despite minor concessions in a staffing mandate issued Monday, many nursing home providers were shell-shocked by what they saw as federal regulators’ intractable stance on minimums at a time when nearly...
Many state governments installed new regulations to govern nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, but those state-level policies weren’t clearly linked to reduced transmission, according to new...