The HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) reports that between March 23 and May 30, 2020, states using the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’s (CMS’s) focused infection control survey protocol cited only 68 deficiencies at nursing … [Read more...] about HHS Inspector General Issues Report on Focused Infection Control Surveys in Nursing Facilities
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Senators Casey and Wyden Release Third Report on Nursing Homes and COVID-19
In The Cost of Inaction: 19 Deaths an Hour and Rising (Dec. 2020), Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and Ron Wyden (D-OR) describe the worsening coronavirus crisis in nursing homes, updating their two earlier reports. More than 104,000 residents and workers … [Read more...] about Senators Casey and Wyden Release Third Report on Nursing Homes and COVID-19
Toby S. Edelman on This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World
Perspectives on what policymakers can learn from COVID-19's devastating impacts on nursing facilities, featuring Center for Medicare Advocacy Senior Policy Attorney Toby Edelman and 2019-20 Health and Aging Policy Fellow, Cinnamon St. John. … [Read more...] about Toby S. Edelman on This is Getting Old: Moving Towards an Age-Friendly World
Elder Justice Newsletter – Vol 3, Issue 3 Now Available
Elder Justice: What “No Harm” Really Means for Residents is a newsletter published by the Center for Medicare Advocacy and the Long Term Care Community Coalition. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide residents, families, friends, and advocates … [Read more...] about Elder Justice Newsletter – Vol 3, Issue 3 Now Available
CMS Replaces all Eight Care-Specific Websites with Single Website: Care Compare
Effective December 1, 2020, Care Compare replaces eight health care-specific websites, such as Nursing Home Compare and Hospice Compare.[1] Users of the new website, https://www.medicare.gov/care-compare/, must type in the city or zip code and … [Read more...] about CMS Replaces all Eight Care-Specific Websites with Single Website: Care Compare
Nursing Home Residents and COVID-19: Staffing and Quality of Care Matter
Despite the nursing home industry’s ongoing insistence that location/zip code is the primary factor determining whether residents infected with coronavirus,[1] evidence mounts that higher nurse staffing levels are correlated with fewer COVID-19 cases … [Read more...] about Nursing Home Residents and COVID-19: Staffing and Quality of Care Matter
HHS Continues Giving Provider Relief Funds to Nursing Facilities
After giving billions of dollars to nursing facilities from the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) “without strings,”[1] and allowing facilities to spend the funds “without limitations,”[2] the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has now announced … [Read more...] about HHS Continues Giving Provider Relief Funds to Nursing Facilities
Infection Control Surveys In Nursing Facilities: As Deaths Soar, CMS Reports Few Deficiencies, Primarily “No Harm”
In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) suspended the regular survey process and announced that it would conduct limited surveys that focused on infection prevention and control issues.[1] Since June, CMS has made … [Read more...] about Infection Control Surveys In Nursing Facilities: As Deaths Soar, CMS Reports Few Deficiencies, Primarily “No Harm”
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
Members of Congress Write CMS Urging Restoration of Nurse Aide Training Requirements for Nursing Facilities
In an October 30, 2020 letter, Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D, TX) and colleagues asked Seema Verma, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), to promptly reinstate nurse aide training requirements that have been … [Read more...] about Members of Congress Write CMS Urging Restoration of Nurse Aide Training Requirements for Nursing Facilities