Late November begins a time for gatherings with family and friends – Thanksgiving, soon followed by the December holidays. Nursing home residents often want to participate in these gatherings but may worry that they will lose Medicare coverage if … [Read more...] about Home for the Holidays | Leaving the Nursing Home During a Medicare-Covered Stay During the Coronavirus Pandemic
COVID-19
Center for Medicare Advocacy Senior Policy Attorney, Toby Edelman and Health and Aging Policy Fellow, Cinnamon St. John Featured On This Is Getting Old Podcast
Nine months after the CDC confirmed the first case of COVID-19 in the United States, the nation is leading the world in COVID-related deaths and confirmed cases. Nowhere has the toll of the coronavirus been felt more than in our nation’s nursing … [Read more...] about Center for Medicare Advocacy Senior Policy Attorney, Toby Edelman and Health and Aging Policy Fellow, Cinnamon St. John Featured On This Is Getting Old Podcast
Nursing Facilities and COVID: Staffing Matters
Countering industry claims that COVID infection rates in nursing facilities are largely a matter of geography, Bloomberg Law reports that five nursing facilities within 25 miles of the Nashville city center, operated by the New Jersey-based CareRite … [Read more...] about Nursing Facilities and COVID: Staffing Matters
“Policy – Medicare’s Regulatory Response to the COVID-19 Crisis”
Center for Medicare Advocacy Policy Attorney Kata Kertesz published an article “Policy – Medicare’s Regulatory Response to the COVID-19 Crisis” in the Fall 2020 issue of Health Progress, the Journal of the Catholic Health Association of the United … [Read more...] about “Policy – Medicare’s Regulatory Response to the COVID-19 Crisis”
Utah’s Crisis Standards of Care: Discriminatory Medical Rationing
What seemed unimaginable in the United States a few months ago may begin soon in Utah: rationing of access to critical life-saving medical care. This dire situation comes due to surging COVID-19 cases coupled with limited medical supplies and staff … [Read more...] about Utah’s Crisis Standards of Care: Discriminatory Medical Rationing
COVID-Only Nursing Facilities: What Happened To A Good Idea?
Early on in the coronavirus pandemic, public health experts were concerned about the need to keep beds in acute care hospitals available for patients with acute care needs. At the same time, experts recognized that grouping patients by their … [Read more...] about COVID-Only Nursing Facilities: What Happened To A Good Idea?
Special Report: CMS Releases Fifth Cumulative List of Focused Infection Control Surveys
On September 30, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released its fifth cumulative report on focused infection control surveys in nursing facilities. Like previous reports, the fifth report shows that comparatively few … [Read more...] about Special Report: CMS Releases Fifth Cumulative List of Focused Infection Control Surveys
AHRQ Launches National Nursing Home COVID Action Network Training Program
About 40% of all COVID-19 related deaths in the United States, according to The New York Times, are linked to nursing homes. To help combat these startling statistics, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) states that “a strong … [Read more...] about AHRQ Launches National Nursing Home COVID Action Network Training Program
Nursing Facilities and Covid-19 – It’s not Inevitable
The nursing home industry claims that outbreaks of COVID-19 in nursing facilities are largely the result of geography and that once coronavirus gets into a building, it inevitably spreads throughout the facility. Increasing evidence documents … [Read more...] about Nursing Facilities and Covid-19 – It’s not Inevitable
Study Finds Lower Mortality Rates in Unionized New York State Nursing Facilities
An analysis of nursing facilities in New York State finds that, compared to facilities without labor unions, facilities with unions had: A 30% lower morality rate from COVID-19A 42% “relative decrease in COVID-19 infection rates” among … [Read more...] about Study Finds Lower Mortality Rates in Unionized New York State Nursing Facilities