In an effort to make nursing home ownership information more transparent and readily available to the public, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) started compiling ownership data on Care Compare. But, the agency’s web-based tool falls short of transparency and ease of access goals, according to a study published by the U.S. Government […]
Category: Compliance
The gap between current skilled nursing occupancy and pre-pandemic occupancy is “99%” due to lack of staff, and addressing the sector’s workforce crisis is clearly the top priority for 2023. That’s according to Phil Fogg Jr., president and CEO of Marquis Companies and chairman of the American Health Care Association. Milwaukie, Oregon-based Marquis owns and […]
In a move long-awaited by skilled nursing providers, President Joe Biden on Monday announced the public health emergency (PHE) will end on May 11 – a month after the current extension expires. The PHE first was declared in 2020 as Covid-19 was first sweeping across the country and was most recently renewed on Jan. 11, […]
Major changes to the Minimum Data Set (MDS) later this year will have “huge ripple effects,” but skilled nursing leaders are still struggling to understand the full implications given a lack of information. This is the perspective of Joel VanEaton, EVP of post-acute care regulatory affairs and education at Broad River Rehab. “All of my […]
Nursing home providers should expect more government scrutiny related to Covid-19 relief funding. This is one message from Matthew Murer, the health care, public policy and government investigations department chair for the national health care practice of law firm Polsinelli. “I think a lot of people are going to be surprised by audits of CARES […]
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker earlier this month signed an omnibus health care bill with some good news for nursing homes in the state, delaying fines tied to the state’s minimum staffing requirement for two-and-a-half more years. Pritzker’s decision gives those in the sector a glimpse into how a federal staffing mandate mightbe received and potentially […]
As a federal minimum staffing standard looms over the nursing home industry, operators and their advocacy organizations look to learn from existing state mandates to better understand how things will play out on a national stage. New York is providing a cautionary tale at the moment, with a mandate exacerbating access to care, industry professionals […]
Nursing home residents who were not up-to-date with recommended COVID-19 vaccines had a 30% to 50% higher risk for contracting Covid compared with residents who were up-to-date with the vaccines, according to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “Despite how successful that was, there really hasn’t been a […]
As climate change increases the scope and severity of hurricanes and storms, nursing homes in hurricane risk zones may need to re-evaluate their emergency preparedness status. A study published in JAMA Geriatrics found that the association between exposure to hurricane-related inundation and nursing home emergency preparedness differs considerably across the Coastal Atlantic and Gulf regulatory […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) confirmed Tuesday that it is currently reviewing a year-long study to determine “policy direction” and cost implications of its proposed federal staffing mandate. The study includes potential barriers to and unintended consequences of staffing recommendations, Jean Moody-Williams said during a call to stakeholders. Moody-Williams serves as deputy […]
As the federal staffing minimum mandate proposal and study is due to be revealed in a matter of months, some state leaders are calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to rethink the mandate’s “one-size-fits-all” approach. Thirteen senators across nine rural states last week issued a letter addressed to CMS Administrator Chiquita […]
A federal watchdog agency is calling for “significant changes” to nursing home operations and oversight in light of new data on Covid-19 infection rates. The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (OIG) calls on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to take action in a report issued Thursday. More […]
More partnerships seem likely between the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and aging services organization LeadingAge – both entities looking to their All Hands on Deck Campaign as a future model. Collaborations to improve staffing issues, burnout and nursing home quality were mentioned by HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, who joined LeadingAge members […]
With reporting from Shelby Grebbin and Amy Stulick The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced a plan to publicly display survey citations that nursing homes are disputing, as well as new policies related to antipsychotic use and related penalties. Currently, disputed citations are not posted to Care Compare. This will change starting […]
As the Biden administration becomes increasingly frustrated with lagging nursing home booster numbers, the White House seeks to take renewed action. That’s according to an article published by Politico on Thursday; redoubled efforts have been taken to send lists of senior facilities with zero people vaccinated – potential penalties and fines could be attached, according […]
Nursing home operators and workers are warning that an onerous and punitive approach to surveys is contributing to administrator burnout and deepening the ongoing labor crisis. “I was working at least 12 hour days every single day, and working the floor as a CNA as well, in addition to doing the administrator job because of […]
California operator Mariner Health Care Inc. was issued a preliminary injunction on Friday for 19 of its buildings, for allegedly violating federal and state laws over a five-year period. Mariner was understaffing its facilities and subjecting patients to negligent care, according to allegations filed by Rob Bonta, state Attorney General and District Attorneys of Alameda, […]
As nursing home operators find themselves in the middle of a tripledemic – with Covid-19 cases, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and the flu on the rise during winter months – concerted efforts to get staff and residents boosted against Covid have fallen by the wayside. And nursing home operators dealing with staffing shortages and burnout, […]
As vaccination rates for nursing homes residents remain too low and case rates have been steadily climbing, the federal government is implementing programs to help providers vaccinate their residents with the latest boosters – although no programs are as drastic or proactive as when the first vaccines were released. “The rates have been steadily climbing, […]
“The sector has a tremendous opportunity to reimagine how we deliver care.” These are the words of Nate Schema, president and CEO of The Evangelical Lutheran Good Samaritan Society, one of the largest providers of skilled nursing services in the United States. Good Sam is reimagining care in part through a $350 million virtual care […]
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