An analysis of PREP Act immunity for LTC facilities
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Dec 04, 2022
A host of lawsuits over the past two years involve nursing homes where patients or their estates allege that patients contracted COVID-19 due to the facilities’ negligence or failure to properly act. ...
The elephant in the room: Are you prepared for the next emergency?
By
Angela Rinehart
Norris Cunningham
Sep 30, 2022
Historically, emergency preparedness programs in long-term care facilities have been less prioritized, with facilities understandably focusing on patient care and operations. But with the pandemic...
Notable nursing home case headed to SCOTUS
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
May 23, 2022
Talevski v. Health and Hospital Corporation, et al., has potentially far-reaching implications and could significantly increase the number of claims against nursing homes and the cost of such claims.
HHS enforces early COVID-19 infection control penalties despite ambiguities
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jan 21, 2022
Infection control penalties upheld against the facility with the first known COVID-19 outbreak reinforce need for implementation – not just policy.
Mastering the paper records to EHR migration
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
John Myers
Sep 20, 2021
By now, most can agree that going electronic is a necessity of doing business, especially in the health care setting. Among other uses, electronic health records (“EHR”) often provide for the ability...
Drug diversion, a series: How to deal with it
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
John Myers
Aug 23, 2021
In the first part of this series, we discussed drug diversion: what it is, how to prevent it and how to spot it. This column will focus on how to conduct drug diversion investigations. When drug...
Drug diversion, a series: How to prevent and spot it
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jul 19, 2021
Drug diversion occurs when prescription medicines are obtained or used illegally. While diversion has always been a concern, without question, COVID-19 certainly increased personal stress and pressure...
Cultural competency is integral to quality care
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Jun 21, 2021
The country is changing, and fast. Studies show that racial and ethnic minorities account for most, if not all, of the country’s population growth as of late. “Nationally, the U.S. grew by 19.5...
Vaccine mandates are legal, but not without their own risks
By
Norris Cunningham
Angela Rinehart
Apr 19, 2021
With the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program now complete, responsibility for COVID-19 vaccinations of new residents and staff has shifted to the long-term care facilities themselves. ...