The federal government this week amended its rules for how providers can use coronavirus relief funding, specifically removing limitations around covering lost revenues not directly related to COVID-19. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the change in the wake of criticism from providers and some lawmakers. “In response to concerns raised, HHS […]
A preliminary study has found evidence of a link between COVID-19 cases at colleges and eventual outbreaks at nearby nursing homes, adding to mounting research showing the direct impact that community spread can have on vulnerable populations. Researchers tracked two specific strains of the novel coronavirus as they spread through the town of La Crosse, […]
The final report from the Coronavirus Commission for Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes contained plenty of ideas on how to keep residents and staff safer should COVID-19 resurge or if another pandemic hits the United States. While some of the onus falls on the federal government, nursing home operators must also raise the bar […]
A recent Skilled Nursing News survey of nursing home operators found cautious optimism about the near-term future of the space, with a majority seeing a clear path to the future even without additional government support. At the same time, operators have largely been pouring that federal largesse — including CARES Act grants, Payroll Protection Program […]
The federal government last week tapped a pair of retail pharmacy giants to distribute an eventual COVID-19 vaccine to nursing home residents across the country, and while there remain significant questions about the logistics of distributing an as-yet-unapproved vaccine, officials have continued to position the plan as the only workable solution to a massive public […]
James Love took the top post at one of the nation’s leading long-term care pharmacies in perhaps the most crucial and consequential month in the entire history of the sector: April 2020. In the six months since, the Omnicare president has had to navigate a post-acute and long-term care landscape forever changed by COVID-19, while […]
Retail pharmacy heavyweights Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA) and CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) have entered into agreements with the federal government to distribute the eventual COVID-19 vaccine to nursing home residents at no cost, President Trump and multiple government agencies announced on Friday. “Today, I’m thrilled to announce that we have just finalized a partnership […]
The federal government on Friday announced its intention to relax restrictions around billing Medicare for immunization in nursing homes, with the stated goal of speeding the eventual distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine. Skilled nursing facilities are typically required to bill Medicare directly for immunizations under the terms of the Social Security Act, even if the […]
Starting in January, the federal government will base Medicare payments for COVID-19 tests on labs’ ability to meet two-day turnaround times, docking them $25 per test for failure to reach the goal. Medicare will pay labs the current $100-apiece rate for high-throughput tests only if they can complete them within two calendar days of specimen […]
A state hit particularly hard by the coronavirus pandemic may soon mandate the end of triple- and quadruple-occupancy nursing home rooms in less than two years. Under new proposed state guidance, nursing homes in Massachusetts would need to convert all of their rooms to single- or double-occupancy by the end of January 2022, the State […]
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last month released its reporting rules for health care providers who received payments from various COVID-19 relief funds. And according to the professional services firm CliftonLarsonAllen (CLA), there were some curveballs in those rules, which were released September 19 and covered distributions from the CARES Act and […]
In normal times, setting up a clinical trial can take nine months or more, with the actual work going on for potentially years afterwards. But during COVID-19, researchers don’t have the benefit of time — especially when working to find therapeutic options for vulnerable seniors in nursing homes. *A phase-three clinical trial for a new […]
A top U.S. coronavirus testing czar had harsh words for a Nevada directive banning the use of antigen point-of-care COVID-19 tests in skilled nursing facilities during a press call on Friday, calling it “an uninformed and unlawful unilateral prohibition.” But Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) assistant secretary for health Adm. Brett Giroir also […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) confirmed the extension by more than two years of repayment terms for advance Medicare cash floated to providers, while also offering further relief of up to five years for operators in particular financial distress. Under the more generous terms, passed earlier this month as part of a […]
The federal government waived several reporting requirements for nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and while they have since been reinstated, the temporary pause will continue to have ripple effects on public data over the coming years. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) this week released an updated tip sheet explaining the agency’s […]
While emphasizing that the industry is much better prepared to weather a potential revival of large COVID-19 outbreaks in the fall and winter, a top nursing home leader on Tuesday called on operators to use the hard lessons learned during 2020 to improve from within. “You cannot ignore the fact that probably close to 100,000 […]
Nursing home residents cannot have their voting rights impeded in any way, and facilities must have a plan to ensure that residents can exercise that right, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) warned in a memo to surveyors this week. The memo to state survey agency directors is meant to provide clarification on […]
A bill to fund the federal government and avert another shutdown also gave nursing home operators and other health care providers a significant extension on repaying advance Medicare payments offered through a COVID-19 stimulus program. The Senate passed and President Trump last week signed a continuing resolution that included a provision to delay recoupments from […]
The federal government on Thursday announced an additional tranche of $20 billion in coronavirus relief funding for a wide swath of health care providers, with the caveat that interested parties should apply as soon as possible. Starting October 5, the Department of Health and Human Services will begin accepting applications for the Phase 3 General […]
The federal government has launched several programs intended to speed up COVID-19 testing in nursing homes, but as the sector stares down a flu season with no signs of coronavirus slowdowns, a pair of top leaders on Wednesday emphasized that the testing burden is far from solved. “We really need to understand and have a […]