HHS Shells Out an Additional $2B in Provider Relief Funds

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Tuesday said it is making more than $2 billion in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 distribution payments to providers, including nursing homes. That brings the PRF Phase 4 total payments to $11 billion, on the heels of $9 billion released in December. This is in […]

LeadingAge to Biden: Aging Services Providers Need PRF Reload, Emergency Staff Wage Program

National aging services organization LeadingAge penned a letter to President Joe Biden late last week, urging the administration to replenish $8 to $10 billion in Provider Relief Funds and establish an emergency financial program to address the staffing crisis. The proposed staffing support program would increase hourly compensation by $5 and provide one-time payments of […]

Nursing Homes Ask for Visitation Flexibility as Omicron Rages

Aging services organizations are now urging the Biden administration to provide flexibility in limiting visitation within nursing homes, citing expected surges in COVID-19 cases tied to the omicron variant. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in November issued guidance allowing visitation for “all residents at all times.” While visitors should be made aware […]

Nursing Home Provisions Still Intact But Unfunded in Senate’s Build Back Better Legislation

Nursing home staffing provisions in the Build Back Better Act so far remain unchanged — and unfunded — as the bill works its way through the Senate. That’s according to panelists at a Tuesday telepress conference hosted by senior housing and care industry association LeadingAge. The Build Back Better Act (HR 5376), which broadly aims […]

CMS: Surveyor Vaccine Mandate Guidance is Forthcoming

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 […]

Facing No Vaccine Mandate Test Out Option, Nursing Home Operators at Odds On Staff Shortage Fallout

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% […]

TNA Absence Felt on the Frontline, Beth Sholom Says of the Temporary Program

In the face of an unrelenting staffing crisis, the temporary nursing aide (TNA) program developed in response to the pandemic is still tied to public health emergencies and accompanying 1135 waivers, a condition operators and aging advocacy groups hope will change. Virginia Beach, Va.-based operator Beth Sholom Village hired 10 TNAs through the program, according […]

Reconciliation Bill Includes Funding For SNF Surveys, Staffing Help

Optimism is growing that a long debated domestic policy package — which includes an investment in the skilled nursing sector to improve surveys and ensure staffing ratios are being monitored and adjusted accordingly — could be passed in Congress. The $1.85 trillion bill, highlighted by social social services and climate change programs, has been coupled […]

[UPDATED] Nursing Home Staff Must Be Vaccinated, Biden Administration Says

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 […]

COVID-Related Wage Increases Haven’t Curbed Turnover

Staffing demands from COVID-19 spurred a national 7.13% increase in hourly wages for certified nursing aides (CNAs) this year according to a report published by the Hospital & Healthcare Compensation Service (HCS). The spike outpaced a 2020 increase of 4.76%. Non-certified nurse aides saw the highest raise at 7.98%, up from 4.24% in 2020. Despite […]

SNF-at-Home Model Becoming ‘Critical Player’ For Success

Several factors continue to push patient care inside the home including health care waivers, patient preference, proposed legislation and an incentive to keep patients out of hospitals during the pandemic, as 32 states now offer hospital care at-home services as of July 27. While the clinical capabilities of in-home care remain limited, some operators are […]

Genesis HealthCare Mandates Company-Wide COVID-19 Vaccinations

Genesis HealthCare has implemented a “universal” COVID-19 vaccination requirement for its employees, care partners and onsite vendors, the post-acute care provider announced Tuesday. The policy requires that individuals have a single dose of the Janssen vaccine or the first dose of a two-dose mRNA vaccine by Aug. 23. The second dose, if applicable, would be […]

New Bill Seeks to Give Medicare Patients More Choice With Home Care

A new bill before Congress — the Choose Home Care Act of 2021 — received support on both sides of the aisle when it was introduced on Thursday, though one of the loudest voices in the long-term care lobby is disappointed to see it move forward. In a statement released on Thursday, the American Health […]