Short-Staffed Missouri Nursing Homes Given Two-Year Window to Close, Reopen Due to Vaccine Mandate

With the lowest vaccination rate among nursing home staff in the country, currently at 56.71%, Missouri’s health department is looking to provide operators some flexibility should they see a mass staff exodus ahead of President Biden’s vaccine mandate. The emergency rule, published on Friday, is meant as a precaution that will allow skilled nursing and […]

LTC Pharmacies Want Better Clarity as Booster Shot Rollout Begins

After receiving a thumbs up from both the Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this month, the work now begins for long-term care pharmacies to administer COVID-19 booster shots for nursing home residents and staff. Others eligible for a third Pfizer shot include those ages 50 to 64 who […]

PRF Release Welcomed as Financial Strain of Staffing Crisis Worsens

Though fears of a massive staff exodus following the Biden’s administration vaccination mandate have likely been tempered with the recent inclusion of all health care providers, recruitment for nursing homes remains a challenge as the need for direct care workers in long-term care settings will nearly double in the next decade. “When I worked in […]

Awaiting CMS Guidance, Operators Continue COVID-19 Vaccine Education Efforts

Although nursing home operators have gotten a bit of a respite with the federal vaccine mandate expansion announced on Thursday, some say that doesn’t deter their efforts to educate staff and get as many vaccinated as possible prior to the federal government releasing further guidance in October. The Biden administration mandated the COVID-19 vaccine for […]

Nursing Homes Navigate an Uncertain Vaccine Future as Federal Program Wraps Up

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 […]

Almost a Year After PDPM’s Implementation, Providers Still Miss Key Payment Drivers

In the months leading up to the implementation of the Patient-Driven Payment Model, the overhaul of Medicare reimbursement for skilled nursing facilities that was implemented last year, several factors emerged as crucial areas for thriving under the new system. The Medicare rate of each facility is determined by a formula that draws from five care […]

Operators Greet Nursing Home COVID Testing Initiative with Cautious Optimism, Pointed Questions

One day after the federal government announced an ambitious plan to send point-of-care testing units for COVID-19 to all of the nation’s more than 15,000 nursing homes, leaders in the space expressed cautious optimism — while often emphasizing that they have more questions than firm answers. Starting next week, the Department of Health and Human […]

No Exodus of Nursing Home Staff, Residents Amid Coronavirus Spread — But Supply Crunch May Be Coming

Concerns for the frailest nursing home patients are on the rise after the coronavirus has taken the lives of four nursing home residents in Washington state. But despite confusion and anxiety related to fears of a potential pandemic in the U.S., some long-term care communities are banding together to update health policies and offer support […]