CMS: Surveyors looking for education, not expertise, under COVID-19 vaccine rule that starts today
By
Kimberly Marselas
May 21, 2021
Nursing homes will not be expected to turn their staff members into vaccine experts under a new rule that requires all workers to be offered COVID-19 shots and to be educated about them, a federal official...
CMS: Educate, vaccinate and be ready to prove it
By
Danielle Brown
May 14, 2021
Nursing home operators must be ready to prove they provided education and offered both residents and staff the COVID-19 vaccine once enforcement of a new interim rule begins next month.
How QIOs, strike teams helped in COVID-19 trenches with majority of nursing homes
By
Kimberly Marselas
Mar 04, 2021
Federal strike teams and quality improvement contractors, acting in expanded roles, helped reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by guiding interventions at more than half of all U.S. nursing homes, said...
Governors ask for limited waivers on vaccine mandate
By
Danielle Brown
Feb 02, 2022
A pair of Republican governors have asked the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for temporary relief from the healthcare worker COVID-19 vaccine mandate for rural providers and state-run facilities.
CMS: Calculations for nursing home inspection ratings will resume in late January
By
Danielle Brown
Dec 07, 2020
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services will resume calculating nursing homes’ health inspection ratings starting on Jan. 27, 2021, the agency announced in a memo Friday.
BREAKING: New CMS rule requires LTC providers to report weekly COVID vaccine data, which will be made...
By
Danielle Brown
May 11, 2021
Long-term care facilities will be required to report weekly data on COVID-19 vaccination status for both residents and staff, and it will be made public, under a new federal rule released Tuesday.
Long-term care remains in the dark about infection preventionist requirements
By
Kimberly Marselas
Apr 13, 2021
The need for infection preventionists has never been greater, but 13 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, long-term care providers still remain in the dark as to who will fit the federal government’s final...
Feds restart regular survey inspections at nursing homes
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 18, 2020
Regular surveys are resuming for long-term providers after being suspended for nearly five months due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
BREAKING: HHS reveals provider incentive plan for remaining $2 billion in relief funding
By
James M. Berklan
Sep 03, 2020
The Department of Health and Human Services announced it will use infection and mortality rates to determine nursing home incentive pay when distributing a previously announced $2 billion Provider Relief...
Verma: CMS to ensure free COVID vaccine for seniors, Medicaid beneficiaries
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 16, 2020
The agency has a plan to expedite the new coverage and will provide more information before the end of October, Verma said. CMS is also working on appropriate Medicare fees for administration of potential...