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 […]
LeadingAge
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 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 […]
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 […]
As delta variant cases continue to pop up across the country, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL), was the latest to call for long-term care workers to get the vaccine this week. The organization joins LeadingAge and other senior care advocates in pushing providers to adopt mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations […]
Senior care advocacy group LeadingAge on Monday became the latest organization to call for vaccine mandates among long-term care providers, encouraging its members to make the shots a condition of employment. The push comes as COVID-19 cases rise, linked to the delta variant and lagging vaccination rates among nursing home workers. Roughly 83% of new […]
Providers are scrambling to make sure they are filing Provider Relief Fund (PRF) reports correctly and have all relevant data to avoid auditing woes or rejected reports. Consultants and skilled nursing advocacy groups have stepped up to provide guidance on how to submit reports to the newly opened PRF portal — the Health Resources and […]
With the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) portal opened as of July 1, the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) issued guidance updates from those initially released June 11, aimed at those looking to submit their reports. Webinars on updated reporting requirements start today with HRSA at 3 p.m. ET and continue in several weeks with […]
Skilled nursing facilities will need solutions to better retain and attract operational staff like New York-based New Jewish Home’s Geriatric Career Development program. Nevertheless experts say that investment in a universal direct care workforce may be needed. The direct care workforce, which includes certified nursing assistants (CNAs) in nursing homes, typically provide between 60-to-80% of […]
Skilled nursing facilities need a boost in Medicaid reimbursement rates to pay for increased caregiver compensation, as well as an overhaul of the current payer structure, according to a six-strategy vision report from the senior care advocacy group LeadingAge. LeadingAge released the report, “Feeling Valued Because They are Valued,” on Thursday, a timely push as […]
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 […]
Nursing home operators have lamented for years how difficult it is to address infrastructure problems in their facilities. In some locations and under some circumstances, they’ve been able to make changes over time. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, means that such changes are not optional if operators want to survive – and they cannot be incremental. […]
Skilled nursing providers may have some financial aid on the way from the federal government to help address the ongoing costs from COVID-19, according to speakers at multiple industry events last week. The speculation comes as the government issued new reporting requirements and deadlines for the federal aid SNFs received over the course of the […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) begins the summer with a new administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure. Soon, the skilled nursing industry will begin to see how this new agency leader — who has a history with CMS and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) — will shape nursing home policy and regulation. […]
After more than a year of mostly bad press from the pandemic, the skilled nursing industry is looking to reframe the narrative through localized communication tactics and an open dialogue with area families. Skilled Nursing News invited Villa Healthcare’s Linsey Cherveny and Janine Finck-Boyle, vice president of regulatory affairs at Leading Age to discuss the […]
The COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural issues from top to bottom in the infrastructure of long-term care in the U.S., from infection control to staffing levels to SNFs’ role in the health care system. But one solution would address, if not eliminate, a multitude of those problems, according to a range of operators, consultants, and frontline […]
The two largest trade groups for nursing homes proposed a policy agenda to address the systemic issues in the sector illuminated by COVID-19, with reforms centered on improving nursing hours, staff retention and infection control — in addition to increasing reimbursement from Medicaid, the largest payer for nursing home care, to cover the costs. The […]
The day-to-day operations of running a skilled nursing facility, were upended by the COVID-19 pandemic — along with the core business model of post-acute and long-term care in America. For many operators, the pandemic has exposed the flaws and systemic challenges of the space, both on the regulatory and operating sides. And as cases continue […]
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 […]
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