Next nursing home reform target: Emergency preparedness?
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 02, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services may soon intensify its reform agenda focus on emergency planning, one of many areas targeted in President Biden’s 21-point nursing home plan unveiled earlier...
Conducting and documenting meaningful fire drills in LTC facilities
By
Stan Szpytek
Apr 16, 2024
From some of our earliest memories in elementary school as little kids, we all recall participating in fire drills on a periodic basis. Of course, the purpose of those fire drills was to train students,...
Hurricane evacuation plaintiffs settle for $12M — and chance to sue nursing home operator again
By
John Hall
Aug 26, 2022
Aggrieved residents and families involved in botched evacuations around Hurricane Ida last year have reached a tentative settlement of $12 million to $15 million with embattled nursing home owner Bob Dean...
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...
Among the risks: upticks in instances of workplace violence and ransomware attacks, as well as ongoing fall risks from a notable increase in the use of antipsychotics.
Planning for the ‘consequences’ of identified hazards at a long-term care facility
By
Stan Szpytek
Feb 26, 2024
Good emergency planning practices and regulatory compliance mandate that long-term care facilities identify the potential threats, perils, and hazards that can adversely impact operations both from an...
‘Too lax for too long’: Providers urged to shore up active shooter planning
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jul 18, 2022
As active shooters increasingly target healthcare settings amid a nationwide spate of attacks, safety experts emphasize nursing homes must confront distinct disadvantages to ensure patient and staff safety.
Armed intruder and active shooter preparedness in LTC facilities
By
Stan Szpytek
Steve Wilder
Oct 09, 2023
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) requires skilled nursing facilities to plan for emergencies and disasters to protect the vulnerable population they serve. The regulations cited in Appendix...
Nursing homes reveal widespread emergency planning barriers in new OIG report
By
Kimberly Marselas
Sep 06, 2023
More than three-quarters of US nursing homes in areas at high risk for natural disasters face significant challenges in preparing for them, estimates a new federal report issued early Wednesday.
Climate threats grow but many nursing homes don’t know: Yale
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jessica R. Towhey
Jan 11, 2023
Two new studies on wildfire and hurricane-related flooding threats to nursing homes demonstrate a need to bolster emergency preparedness in a sector where many leaders may be unaware of evolving weather-related...