With two COVID-19 vaccines officially authorized for use, the immunization of health care workers and long-term care facility residents is finally underway in earnest. The Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorizations (EUAs) to Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) COVID-19 vaccine on December 11 and to Moderna’s (Nasdaq: MRNA) on December 18. There are several considerations […]
The new spending bill passed by Congress on Monday night, which includes $900 billion in COVID-19 relief, also contains some respite for cuts to Medicare Part B that posed a significant threat to therapy operations in skilled nursing facilities. The Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 is now awaiting President Trump’s signature, and it includes a […]
Congress reached an agreement on a new COVID-19 relief package on Sunday, but for skilled nursing providers, the measures in the bill are at best a preliminary step toward the aid necessary for them to survive the aftershocks of a grueling year. The bill, which runs to almost 6,000 pages and had not been finalized […]
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found “significant problems” with the managed long-term supports and services (MLTSS) covered by Medicaid and implemented through contracts with managed care organizations. The GAO made the discovery in a recent review of six states. In the report, which was released publicly on December 16, the GAO recommended a […]
There’s no easy way to look back over 2020 in the skilled nursing sector. That’s both in the sense of the devastation wrought by the COVID-19 pandemic, and in the sense of trying to review it in a way that would make lead to any meaningful conclusions. There are so many critical areas to examine: the treatment of workers […]
With one COVID-19 vaccine authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and another likely to gain approval soon, the end of the pandemic could be coming into view. In the meantime, though, testing remains a critical element of the response, particularly for skilled nursing facilities, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) […]
A December survey of more than 900 nursing home providers —conducted by one of the largest trade groups in the sector — found that 65% of providers are operating at a loss or negative margin, while just 34% believe they can sustain operations for more than a year. The December survey was conducted by the […]
A bipartisan group of senators released a stimulus plan on Monday consisting of two different aid packages, $748 billion and $160 billion apiece — one of which includes a controversial liability protection for health care providers and other businesses. The latter aid package contains parameters, favored by business interests of multiple stripes, on liability for […]
The emergency use authorization (EUA) granted to Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) COVID-19 vaccine late on Friday launched a flurry of promises and commitments to get the vaccine out to vulnerable long-term care residents as quickly as possible. Alex Azar, the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) suggested on Sunday in an interview […]
A new report comparing health outcomes for beneficiaries of Medicare Advantage (MA) and those on traditional fee-for-service Medicare put hard numbers to the differences in skilled nursing facility stays between the two groups. The findings show that MA beneficiaries spend far fewer days in SNFs than those covered by traditional Medicare. Specifically, SNF stays were […]
White Oak Healthcare Finance provided funding for a $110 million senior credit facility secured by nine skilled nursing facilities in Virginia, with a total of more than 1,000 beds. White Oak acted as administrative agent and sole lender on the funding, which was done on behalf of the client, “a well-respected real estate investor,” according […]
With an official recommendation that health care workers and long-term care facility residents be prioritized when a vaccine is approved, the next issue becomes getting them their shots — and ensuring they feel safe taking them. The recent recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) was […]
When conferences were a staple of business development and not potential sources of contagion from COVID-19, skilled nursing providers would frequently pack the rooms featuring sessions on institutional special needs plans (I-SNPs). Under this model, SNFs can move into the Medicare Advantage world by offering their own insurance plans to beneficiaries who are living in […]
Three senior living and care organizations in Pennsylvania filed suit against the state over $153 million in additional Medicaid funds allocated in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, charging the Keystone State with treating the money “as its own piggybank and disregarding the substantial need of the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens.” The petition, filed on December […]
California emerged as an early COVID-19 hotspot when the coronavirus first emerged in the U.S., and for skilled nursing facilities in the Golden State, the pandemic hit particularly hard. As a result, local health officials at both the state and county levels were looking for ways to combat the anticipated need — and they turned […]
The federal government’s push to send out rapid point-of-care antigen test for COVID-19 to all nursing homes officially wrapped in the early months of autumn. But for many skilled nursing facilities, the use of the tests was fraught, with questions lingering about accuracy and refills of supplies. Those concerns began to ease as fall wore […]
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was emphatic in a Tuesday meeting that it has the systems and processes in place to keep track of any adverse events from a COVID-19 vaccine, whenever one is approved. Whether that is enough to quell the concerns of the health care workers and long-term care facility […]
Select Rehabilitation closed on its acquisition of Kindred Healthcare’s RehabCare business line, the Glenview, Ill.-based therapy company announced on Tuesday. Terms of the deal were not disclosed; the acquisition was originally announced on October 5. Select’s pro-forma revenues exceed $1 billion, according to the therapy provider, which employs 17,000 therapists in 43 states. Kindred used […]
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advisory committee on immunization on Tuesday voted to recommend that health care personnel and long-term care residents get first priority on a COVID-19 vaccine, when it is authorized. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) voted in favor of offering a COVID-19 vaccine first to health […]
Some aspects of the nursing home world do not change even during a global pandemic, and that includes the need to manage relationships with multiple payers. Several managed care organizations (MCOs) are now sending in their new contracts to skilled nursing providers as old agreements expire, Chad Bogar, the founder and CEO of the law […]
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