In a partial win for the Biden administration, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday revived the health care worker vaccine mandate in 26 states. A three judge New Orleans-based panel ruled that a lower court injunction only had the authority to block the mandate in 14 states involved in the lawsuit: Alabama, […]
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is working on developing vaccine mandate guidance for surveyors, the government agency said during a stakeholder call last week. While the guidance is forthcoming, CMS is placing responsibility on state agencies to conduct safe surveys. Guidance will be relevant to surveyors within CMS, state surveyors and “non-nursing […]
The head of the nation’s largest lobbying and trade group for nursing homes called out two ‘unfunded mandates’ included in the Biden administration’s Build Back Better Act — mandatory minimum staffing and 24-hour registered nurse (RN) oversight in nursing homes — arguing both will cause unnecessary strain on an already employee beleaguered industry. During a […]
Ten states have sued the federal government this week in hopes of stopping a regulation that requires Medicare and Medicaid participating health care facilities, including nursing homes, to have all staff members fully vaccinated by early next year. The suit, filed on Wednesday by 10 states attorneys general in the U.S. District Court for the […]
Some nursing home advocacy groups and operators, upon the Thursday release of the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate guidance, say execution will only make the current workforce crisis worse. Others believe employer-initiated mandates indicate less of a workforce loss, with operators like St. Louis, Mo.-based St. Andrew’s Resources for Seniors System (STARRS) losing less than 2% […]
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) praised federal legislation aimed at bringing infection control specialists into health care settings, including nursing homes, ahead of a hearing discussing the bill on Tuesday. The House Committee on Energy and Commerce discussed seven bills introduced to provide health care provider, caregiver and […]
Of the two million patients admitted to nursing homes every year, an anticipated 35% could be diverted to home health care if the Choose Home Care Act of 2021 becomes law, according to Keith Myers, chairman and CEO of LHC Group. Myers, along with Visiting Nurse Health System CEO Dorothy Davis, spoke about the legislation […]
Pennsylvania Congressman Fred Keller last week introduced a bill to connect displaced workers, those out of a job because of the pandemic, with in-demand positions linked to long-term care. The Strengthening Knowledge, Improving Learning, and Livelihoods (SKILLS) Act would pull out-of-work Americans from hard-hit industries like retail and hospitality and place them on a career […]
Roughly 94% of Medicare beneficiaries want to receive post-acute care in the home rather than a skilled nursing facility, according to results of a Morning Consult poll released today. The poll was conducted on behalf of the Partnership for Quality Home Healthcare (PQHH), along with the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC). That’s […]
Redoubling efforts to vaccinate frontline health care workers against COVID-19 and its variants, President Joe Biden on Thursday expanded staff vaccination requirements to include any provider that receives Medicare or Medicaid funding. The move is part of sweeping efforts affecting upwards of 100 million Americans — employers with more than 100 workers will be required […]
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), days after the Biden administration announced its vaccine mandate for nursing homes, urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to consider the decision’s effect on staffing. In a letter to the agency, AHCA/NCAL […]
Operators hope that planned booster shots, distributed through a streamlined process, will help protect the skilled nursing community against the “twice as transmissible” delta variant, a phrase used by President Joe Biden in a press briefing Wednesday. The Biden administration announced plans to deliver COVID-19 booster shots directly to long-term care residents and staff eight […]
Following the Biden administration’s announcement that all nursing home staff must be vaccinated against COVID-19 or risk losing Medicare and Medicaid funding, operators and senior living organization leaders fear singling out one group of health care workers will only exacerbate a continued staffing crisis. Some state mandates, on the other hand, call on all health […]
Distribution and waste concerns are top of mind for operators waiting on COVID-19 booster shot plans in the fall, with some recalling timing and logistics issues tied to the initial vaccine rollout. Kevin Morris, president of BaneCare Management in Massachusetts, said the 11-facility company is looking to have vaccine distribution happen at a more rapid […]
Six U.S. senators have introduced the Nursing Home Improvement and Accountability Act of 2021, which would require federal health agencies to closely examine the skilled nursing industry’s staffing requirements, along with bolstered funding to Medicaid. Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bob Casey (D-Penn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) […]
LTC Properties says they’re not seeing many investment opportunities in the skilled nursing space currently, but their approach hasn’t changed — they remain committed to the space. Pricing has been surprisingly robust compared to other senior sectors such as private-pay senior living due to financial support provided by the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund. Total […]
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) on Wednesday issued a statement indicating the nursing home industry has fallen behind its vaccination goal — 75% of staff vaccinated by June 30. The current national percentage of vaccinated skilled nursing facility staff is sitting at 58% on average as of June […]
With more than half of nursing homes currently operating at a loss, only a quarter are confident that they can last a year or more. That’s according to a survey of 616 skilled nursing facilities conducted by the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL). The organization posted its findings on […]
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