Feds ramp up nursing home sanctions for poor care performance
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 24, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will more aggressively enforce accountability in its Special Focus Facilities (SFF) Program, the Biden Administration said Friday.
CMS to begin audits for schizophrenia coding, says citations will affect quality ratings
By
Alicia Lasek
Jan 19, 2023
The agency will start auditing nursing homes this month to determine whether residents’ schizophrenia diagnoses are accurate and appropriately coded. A pattern of inaccurate coding may result in a quality...
FDA greenlights first home COVID test with traditional premarket review
By
Alicia Lasek
Jun 07, 2023
The Cue COVID-19 Molecular Test is the first at-home COVID-19 test to be granted marketing authorization outside of emergency use authorities, representing a new era of consumer access to diagnostic tests,...
GAO: Federal falls programs overlook disabled seniors and should share more data
By
Alicia Lasek (f3)
Jul 29, 2022
Targeting a larger, more inclusive group of at-risk seniors will help prevent even more falls and their costly consequences, the GAO finds.
Diagnostic stewardship may reduce unnecessary antibiotics use, study finds
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 26, 2022
Diagnostic stewardship — making sure patients receive the right tests at the right time — appears to work even better than antibiotic stewardship to halt unnecessary treatment for asymptomatic UTIs,...
Clinical briefs for Tuesday, Oct. 18
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 18, 2022
Immigration reform means staffing opportunities for long-term care, despite roadblocks … CDC: In-hospital COVID mortality fell from 15% to 5% between delta and omicron … Low-priced OTC hearing aids...
Industry advocates have launched an online platform and forum open to all LTC staff who perform infection prevention and control duties.
Most nursing homes lack tech capacity to communicate with clinical partners
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 09, 2022
Fully 68% of facilities surveyed nationwide were unable to communicate electronically with external partners, including clinics, labs or pharmacies, researchers from the Columbia University School of Nursing...
AHCA: To avoid new COVID testing citations, heed manufacturers’ use instructions
By
Alicia Lasek
Sep 30, 2022
LTC facilities must adhere to manufacturers’ use instructions after a CMS change in enforcement discretion for COVID testing, the advocate says.
Study gives for-profit hospices failing grade in patient care
By
Diane Eastabrook
Feb 28, 2023
Patients receiving hospice care from for-profit providers report substantially worse care experiences than those who receive care from nonprofit hospice agencies, according to a Rand Corporation study.