Skilled nursing facilities were given clear vaccine opportunities through the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care program, which provided three on-site clinics at facilities across the country — with the goal of providing the two-dose inoculations to as many residents and staff as possible. Now that the third vaccination clinics are wrapping up in most […]
Two of the largest trade associations for nursing homes announced a goal of vaccinating approximately 75% of the roughly 1.5 million nursing home workers across the U.S. by the end of June. The American Health Care Association (AHCA), which represents more than 14,000 primarily for-profit nursing homes and long-term care facilities, and LeadingAge, which represents […]
After a year of remarkable tragedy in nursing homes, a new analysis of federal COVID-19 data shows a significant drop in resident deaths in the weeks after vaccine clinics began — a trend made even more striking given the simultaneous spike in U.S. coronavirus deaths over the same span. Weekly deaths in nursing homes fell […]
The vaccine rollout at nursing homes and other congregational care settings has brought rapid and substantial declines in COVID-19 case numbers, but leaders at a top landlord in the sector say the desperately welcome trend has yet to have an impact on persistently low occupancy. “Fortunately, the rollout of the vaccine to over 94% of […]
Private equity ownership of nursing homes has resulted in a variety of negative outcomes, including an elevated risk of death for short-term Medicare patients, higher rates of antipsychotic drug use, and increased taxpayer spending on episodes of care, a new study concluded. Published as a National Bureau of Economic Research working paper, the February 2021 […]
Even with only partial data, nursing homes were the second-deadliest workplace amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new analysis — and the missing numbers may well push the setting into the top spot. U.S. nursing homes logged 80 deaths for every 100,000 full-time employees last year, Scientific American concluded in a study published […]
COVID-19 outbreaks in skilled nursing facilities are affected by more than geography, and nursing home operators have tools and actions they can take to mitigate the spread of the virus in their facilities, the Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) argued in a report released on Thursday. “Since the start of the pandemic, one of the […]
The Biden administration this week moved closer to installing its top health care leaders, with reports of an upcoming pick for the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) and a set confirmation hearing date for its nominee to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). President Biden will select […]
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis in nursing homes continues to make headlines amid accusations of a deliberate cover-up, but the embattled executive this week promised to explore reforms targeted at for-profit facility owners. “I have long believed that there is a tension in a for-profit nursing home, because those institutions […]
PruittHealth, a major nursing home operator across the Southeast, took a $137.2 million revenue hit during the COVID-plagued year of 2020 — but saw a significant increase in demand for home health services. That income loss includes the operator’s skilled nursing, therapy, pharmacy, and hospice business lines, according to a new report released this week, […]
Metropolitan New York was the first epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic in the spring of 2020, and Gov. Andrew Cuomo received significant criticism for his decision to require nursing homes to accept residents regardless of their coronavirus status. The controversy, which was reignited last month after the state attorney general’s office released a report claiming […]
The Biden administration will likely bring some degree of new oversight to the nursing home sector as lawmakers and regulators look to sort out what went wrong during the COVID-19 pandemic, and ownership transparency — coupled with significantly more stringent financial reporting requirements — could emerge as a key area of reform. While the industry […]
Nursing facilities with the highest proportion of non-white residents saw COVID-19 infection and death rates that were 3.3 times higher than those with the greatest concentration of white residents, according to a new study that illustrates the disproportionate impact of the novel coronavirus on communities of color — both in long-term care and generally. The […]
Despite the promise of the national vaccine rollout, 2021 dawned in the middle of the deadliest four-week period of the pandemic thus far for residents of nursing homes and other long-term care settings, according to a new analysis — though the most recent set of federal data shows a consistent drop in resident and staff […]
Nursing home giant Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) last week announced greater-than-average COVID-19 vaccine uptake among its residents and staff, but the company’s top clinical official emphasized that the work isn’t over — both because of continued gaps in acceptance among people of color, and an uncertain future after the end of the federal vaccination program. […]
The Biden administration is leaning toward the selection of former federal health official and current Manatt Health managing director Chiquita Brooks-LaSure for the administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), Politico reported this week. Brooks-LaSure held posts at CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under President Obama, with […]
Genesis HealthCare (NYSE: GEN) announced late Tuesday that it had achieved a staff COVID-19 vaccination rate of 61% through the first round of on-site clinics, with 84% of residents opting in. The Kennett Square, Pa.-based chain — which operates more than 300 skilled nursing and senior living facilities in 24 states — contrasted those figures […]
Among the many long-standing issues that COVID-19 exposed in long-term care, the design of the facilities themselves stands as one of the most obvious. With new development of long-term care facilities almost nonexistent, nursing homes frequently rank as the oldest health care properties in their given markets. “Semi-private” rooms with up to four beds remain […]
President Biden’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) late last week announced several moves to crack down on nursing home fraud and abuse in his home state. California attorney general Xavier Becerra touted the creation of a surprise inspection program known as Operation SAFE, to be led by a new […]
More than any other issue, liability shields for nursing home operators have consistently generated headlines and public outrage as lawmakers and regulators look to sort out the top areas of reform in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. States across the country have come under fire for including nursing homes in legislation that provides blanket […]