According to the HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG), nursing facilities were not prepared for the pandemic and could not “stem the devastation once it was evident that nursing homes were especially vulnerable.” In “More than a Thousand Nursing … [Read more...] about HHS Office of Inspector General: Nursing Home COVID-19 Underscores Need for Better Staffing and Improved Surveys
COVID-19
Medicare Provisions in Year-End Spending Bill
The Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), 2023 (H.R. 2617, now Public Law 117-328), which funds federal government operations for the 2023 fiscal year, was signed into law by President Biden on December 29, 2022. The CAA contains a number of … [Read more...] about Medicare Provisions in Year-End Spending Bill
Vaccinated Staff Equals Fewer Nursing Home Deaths – Require Boosters
A new study documents that vaccinations of nursing home staff resulted in fewer COVID-19 cases and deaths among residents and fewer COVID-19 cases among staff in the early part of the coronavirus pandemic. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid … [Read more...] about Vaccinated Staff Equals Fewer Nursing Home Deaths – Require Boosters
Home for the Holidays | Leaving the Nursing Home During a Medicare-Covered Stay During the Coronavirus Pandemic
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
CMS Must Strengthen Oversight of Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Home
GAO Report Shows Residents’ Conditions Worsened on Seven of Eight Key Indicators in 2020 In a performance audit, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) finds that in seven of eight key indicators of nursing home residents’ mental and physical … [Read more...] about CMS Must Strengthen Oversight of Infection Prevention and Control in Nursing Home
CMS Encourages Health Care Providers to Prepare for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
In an August 18, 2022 blog post, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) encourages health care providers “to prepare for the end [of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency] flexibilities as soon as possible and to begin moving forward … [Read more...] about CMS Encourages Health Care Providers to Prepare for the End of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency
Nurse Staffing Study Confirms Nursing Home Resident Deaths Increased When Nurse Staffing Levels Declined During Pandemic
An analysis of “severe outbreaks” of COVID-19 in nursing homes between January 1, 2017 and June 30, 2021 finds that “the contemporaneous increase in staffing shortages and resident non-COVID-19-related deaths is consistent with worsened resident … [Read more...] about Nurse Staffing Study Confirms Nursing Home Resident Deaths Increased When Nurse Staffing Levels Declined During Pandemic
Report: CDC Attempts to Overcome Limited and Incomplete COVID-19 Data to Address Health Disparities
Secretary of Health and Human Services, Xavier Becerra, renewed the Public Health Emergency (PHE) on July 15th. [1] Over two-and-a-half years after the initial PHE was enacted, COVID-19 has infected almost one-third (27%)[2] of the people living in … [Read more...] about Report: CDC Attempts to Overcome Limited and Incomplete COVID-19 Data to Address Health Disparities
As Interstate Telehealth Emergency Licensure Waivers Expire, Study Examines Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries
The first COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) was passed on January 31, 2020.[1] Almost two-and-a-half years later, over one million people have lost their lives to the infectious disease, and the nation is still struggling to emerge from the … [Read more...] about As Interstate Telehealth Emergency Licensure Waivers Expire, Study Examines Impact on Medicare Beneficiaries
An Exploration of the Pandemic’s Full Impact on Racial and Ethnic Minorities from March to December 2020
The United States is on track to hit a grim COVID-19 milestone. Soon, over one million people will have lost their lives to the pandemic.[1],[2] While daily death rates have fallen, the average number of daily cases is back on the rise – increasing … [Read more...] about An Exploration of the Pandemic’s Full Impact on Racial and Ethnic Minorities from March to December 2020