The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of care delivery across the senior housing, skilled nursing, home health and hospice industries. To see this year’s future leaders, visit Future Leaders online. John McFarlane, chief […]
Billions of federal stimulus dollars have kept the skilled nursing sector afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the most recent distributions hit operators’ bank accounts, storm clouds are still gathering in the distance. While nursing home operators may have been spared the immediate financial woes that hit businesses in a variety of other sectors, […]
Paragon Mortgage late last month announced the successful completion of a $16.3 million refinance loan for All Saints Healthcare in North Hollywood, Calif. The 128-bed skilled nursing facility now has permanent financing through the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) 232/223 program, according to the Phoenix-based Paragon. All Saints provides skilled nursing care to […]
Self-reported nursing home data for three key quality metrics does not line up with subsequent hospital diagnoses, a new analysis of public data has concluded — with one category, pressure ulcers, showing direct evidence of underreporting, according to the report. More than half of skilled nursing facilities underreport the prevalence of pressure ulcers by a […]
The federal government last week cracked down on COVID-19 testing in nursing homes, with a host of new fines exceeding $8,000 per instance, but some industry leaders — and a prominent geriatrician — have raised concerns about whether providers can meet the new benchmarks, or whether the plan will have the intended effects. “You cannot […]
The leader of the largest trade group for U.S. nursing homes on Thursday advised operators to exceed new federal COVID-19 testing mandates whenever possible, while emphasizing the importance of planning for complying with the new regulations as soon as next week. “I would be testing, once a week, all staff. I would be doing that […]
The federal government this week confirmed a plan to distribute 1.5 million N95 respirators to nursing homes with three or fewer days’ supply of the masks. The Department of Health and Human Services will begin shipping the N95s, sourced from the Strategic National Stockpile, on Friday in quantities sufficient to last each facility for seven […]
Citing rising numbers of nursing facilities reporting shortages of key personal protective equipment (PPE), a pair of U.S. senators sent a letter to Vice President Mike Pence requesting more information about federal efforts to direct supplies to post-acute and long-term care facilities. “We write to reiterate our deep concern that the Trump Administration’s continued failure […]
Nursing homes will be required to test staffers for COVID-19 as often as twice weekly depending on the prevalence of the virus in the surrounding community, and a top federal official emphasized that repeat testing for negative antigen results may not be necessarily required in all cases. The White House late Tuesday initially revealed the […]
The Department of Justice on Wednesday sent letters to four state governors requesting detailed information about their decisions regarding COVID-19 in nursing homes, potentially setting the stage for a formal civil rights investigation. The federal agency’s Civil Rights Division in particular wants data regarding the controversial decisions — made in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, […]
As the federal government moves to mandate more frequent COVID-19 testing in nursing homes, half of the latest tranche of $5 billion in relief will be sent to facilities this week, the White House announced late Tuesday. “The first $2.5 billion of these funds will be distributed this week to help many nursing homes cover […]
The federal government on Tuesday issued stricter requirements for COVID-19 testing in nursing homes, making routine staff testing a requirement for participation in Medicare and Medicaid and rolling out fines as high as $8,000 per instance of non-compliance. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established the new rules as part of a larger […]
The president and CEO of the largest nursing home operator in the state of Indiana will resign at the end of next month, marking another milestone in a long-running controversy over complex programs that boost Medicaid rates for nursing facilities in states across the country. Matthew Gutwein of the Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion […]
A few weeks after the nation’s top Medicare official pointed to persistent infection control problems as a major driver of rising COVID-19 cases in nursing homes, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Tuesday introduced new online training resources for frontline staffers and management. Officials based the new “CMS Targeted COVID-19 Training for […]
The federal government late last week released an updated blueprint for distributing the second wave of nearly 12,000 point-of-care COVID-19 testing units destined for nursing homes, with a significantly wider definition of hotspots than the initial round. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has designated about 11,800 facilities as targets for the second […]
More closely associated with lifesaving interventions in war zones and developing countries, Doctors Without Borders has made headlines during the COVID-19 crisis with its work on the ground in the United States. In addition to providing aid to homeless populations in New York City and migrants in Florida, the humanitarian organization — formally known by […]
American Medical Technologies, a leading provider of wound-care services to post-acute and long-term care facilities, last Friday announced its acquisition by private equity firm One Equity Partners and investment management company The Silverfern Group. The Irvine, Calif.-based AMT operates in more than 6,250 facilities across the country, according to the company, with services ranging from […]
The Future Leaders Awards program is brought to you in partnership with PointClickCare. The program is designed to recognize up-and-coming industry members who are shaping the next decade of care delivery across the senior housing, skilled nursing, home health and hospice industries. To see this year’s future leaders, visit Future Leaders online. Gina Bruno, vice […]
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday announced the use of the Defense Production Act to bolster orders of point-of-care coronavirus testing units and supplies for the nation’s nursing homes. HHS applied “priority rated contracts” for devices and related assays with Becton Dickinson (BD) and the Quidel Corporation, the two manufacturers tasked […]
The new Medicare payment model for post-acute care providers has largely gotten lost in the more pressing concerns of COVID-19, but as operators continue to struggle with increased costs related to the pandemic, some are still making mistakes that could cause them to lose out on money they earned. The differences between the top performers […]