An alarming number of residents in nursing homes for veterans are susceptible to acquiring a superbug after admission, with over one-third already carrying these drug-resistant pathogens into the facilities and spreading them through routine activities, according to a new study. The findings have important implications for nursing homes in general. The study conducted by the […]
Category: Clinical
It’s been over a year since nursing homes began implementing – and enduring pain points – in the transition from Section G to GG in the Minimum Data Set (MDS), but efforts to address the initial troubles seem to be paying off. The challenges of incorporating the changes to MDS came with higher administrative burdens […]
The economic and operational climate continues to favor big players and industry consolidation this year. As a result, top providers to watch in 2025 are those chains planning to tap into scale for efficiencies, as well as those leveraging technology and value-based care to thrive. It’s worth noting that operational pressures, including a shortage of […]
SNF-at-home programs are gaining traction as a viable solution to address the shortage of nursing home and rehabilitation facility beds, with the goal of reducing bottlenecks at hospitals. Indications of success of SNF-at-home programs – although mostly anecdotal at this moment – are evident from two simultaneous studies at UMass Chan Medical School and Mass […]
A deadly Listeria bacteria found in frozen shakes served at nursing homes and hospitals is behind 12 deaths and 38 illnesses across 21 states, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said Monday. “The FDA and CDC, in collaboration with state and local partners, are investigating illnesses in a multistate outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes infections,” the […]
Staffing and certain compliance issues related to updated survey guidance coming in late March, particularly those that relate to patient discharges as well as use of psychotropic medications, are top of mind for nursing home clinical leaders in 2025. Panelists at Skilled Nursing News’ annual CLINICAL conference, which took place early this week in Fort […]
As the nursing home industry grapples with federal audits related to changes in survey requirements – seen as compounding burdens on staff – the sector lags behind other health care areas in filling openings for nurses. Signature HealthCARE’s Chief Nursing Officer Barbara Revelette shared her thoughts on the fallout from ramped-up CMS scrutiny related to […]
Medicines, such as antivirals and vaccines, which had more solid evidence showing they were effective compared to other types of safety measures, were underutilized during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings are based on a JAMA study released Friday. Overall, pharmacologic measures including vaccination and antiviral treatment had a more robust efficacy than nonpharmacologic interventions like […]
Viral illnesses have been on the rise this winter across the U.S., with norovirus – or stomach bug – infections nearly doubling from a year ago. Nursing home infection prevention experts are suggesting bringing back certain common sense protocols to curb spread of disease in nursing homes. Each year, over half of all norovirus outbreaks […]
With demand for skilled nursing services increasing, patient acuity rising, technology quickly evolving, and the payment landscape becoming more complex and challenging, clinical leaders have their work cut out for them. That why we’re conducting a survey to uncover key insights about the trends, challenges and innovative strategies shaping the delivery of clinical care in […]
A vast majority of nonprofit and government-owned nursing homes across the U.S. complied with federal infection prevention training requirements, according to the results of an audit conducted by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), released Tuesday. Those that failed to comply cited staffing challenges. The OIG’s audit, conducted between April 2024 through October 2024, examined […]
Long-term care facilities are struggling to evacuate patients due to logistical hurdles, as Hurricane Helene is expected to make landfall on Thursday night. Some Florida nursing homes, however, have successfully evacuated their residents and are following protocol, according Kristen Knapp, senior director of strategy and communications for the Florida Health Care Association. “Our members have […]
Following four deaths and a cluster of cases tied to Legionnaires’ disease at a New York-based assisted living facility, infection prevention experts are cautioning nursing homes to be vigilant about disease spread. Nursing homes have been prime breeding grounds in the past, leading to an outbreak at an Illinois nursing home for veterans and resulting […]
Due to the nationwide shortage of registered nurses (RNs), currently employed RNs are having to work longer shifts than during the pandemic. In the first quarter of 2024, about a dozen states reported that full shifts for RNs averaged over 11 hours per day. Registered nurses (RNs) working in nursing homes in Alaska and Utah […]
The rising acuity at nursing homes alongside increasingly stringent government regulation, is raising operational risk – and litigation – leaving facilities “overwhelmed” in its wake. As residents increasingly age in place for longer, they are arriving at skilled nursing facilities with more serious health conditions. This trend, combined with regulatory pressures and heightened scrutiny from […]
Allowing nursing home staff experiencing mild Covid symptoms to work, masked, appears to be better for resident welfare than furloughing infected workers. Missing tasks outweighed increased harm from Covid transmission in a simulated scenario, according to a study published Monday morning in JAMA Network Open. Understaffing was associated with missed tasks, resident hospitalizations and deaths, […]
Specialized clinical programs at nursing homes, tailored to specific patient populations, are gaining popularity. Their success and longevity depend on forging close partnerships with local hospitals to address gaps in care – a feature that is also expected to alleviate backlogs at hospitals. In creating strong clinical programs at SNFs, hospitals – can and do […]
In anticipation of the fall flu season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is revising its guidelines for the RSV vaccine and recommending that older adults in nursing homes receive the vaccine. The recommendations issued Wednesday, strongly advises that adults aged 75 and older adults receive the RSV vaccine. Meanwhile, adults aged 60 […]
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Oregon) on Thursday announced that a draft bill is underway that, if enacted, would bring unprecedented reforms for hospice payment and oversight. The draft bill comes as more skilled nursing operators expand their hospice offerings, including by launching their own hospice businesses or more closely partnering with existing hospice providers. Blumenauer announced […]
A screening tool that predicts short-term mortality of older adults could potentially be used to improve care for high-risk patients visiting emergency departments and other health care settings, including nursing homes. A recent study published in JAMA has highlighted the effectiveness of the Geriatric End-of-Life Screening Tool (GEST) in predicting 6-month mortality in older patients […]
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