CMS issues reprieve for 2,500 nursing homes yet to report COVID vaccination rates
By
Kimberly Marselas
Jun 15, 2021
Nursing homes that have not reported required resident and staff vaccination rates to federal officials will get a reprieve before the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services begins assessing penalties,...
Genesis’ targeted COVID vaccine efforts helped increase uptake among Black, Hispanic employees: study
By
Danielle Brown
Jul 27, 2021
Long-term care giant Genesis Healthcare was able to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates among its Hispanic and Black employees by 6.1% and 5.4%, respectively, after shifting its vaccine education strategy...
Mix-and-match booster shots a plus for long-term care, AHCA/NCAL’s chief doc says
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 25, 2021
Adding the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines to the mix will “catapult” efforts to increase COVID-19 booster access for residents and staff, David Gifford, M.D., says.
Biden administration asks court to revive workplace vaccine mandate
By
Kimberly Bonvissuto
Nov 24, 2021
The Biden administration has asked the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals to reinstate a federal workplace COVID-19 vaccine and testing mandate after the enforcement was suspended.
Biden could withhold funds as ‘stick’ to push nursing homes and others to get more workers vaccinated
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Aug 09, 2021
Could the White House use regulatory powers to withhold funds from institutions like long-term-care facilities that they think aren’t doing enough to encourage employee or customer vaccinations?...
Use of religious vaccination exemptions could grow after judge blocks mandate
By
Danielle Brown
Sep 16, 2021
New York long-term care providers cannot deny religious exemptions from the state’s COVID-19 vaccination mandate after a federal judge issued a temporary straining order blocking the rule for lacking...
CMS shares LTC booster data; coverage among residents meets national average
By
Alicia Lasek
Feb 10, 2022
Nursing home booster vaccination data is now available on the Medicare.gov Care Compare website as part of CMS’s effort to help increase facility vaccination coverage, the agency said Wednesday.
CMS memo: ‘Dramatic staff losses’ not happening due to vax requirements
By
James M. Berklan
Feb 02, 2022
Declaring once again that “Vaccine requirements work,” Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure on Tuesday urged healthcare facility administrators to increase...
Vaccinated long-term care residents in the clear from COVID-19 — for now
By
Danielle Brown
Jul 12, 2021
Long-term care residents and staff fully vaccinated against COVID-19 don’t need booster shots anytime soon, according to federal health officials.
Federal programs helped vaccinate LTC residents quickly but delayed other vaccination efforts: GAO
By
Amy Novotney
Nov 05, 2021
The federal government’s Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program was a boon for quickly getting COVID-19 vaccines into the arms of nursing home residents at highest risk of contracting the virus,...