Booster shots cut COVID spread among residents, but nursing home rollout remains spotty
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 30, 2021
Booster vaccinations are reducing COVID-19 cases among nursing facility residents, the CDC reports. But industry case counts are hovering at 4,000 per week, and it remains unclear how many U.S. facilities...
COVID shot boosters for all adults will help to reduce confusion, FDA says
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 22, 2021
The FDA “heard loud and clear” that a simpler booster strategy was needed, its vaccine chief says. But the action may be too late to head off a winter virus surge, observers say.
Clinical briefs for Friday, Nov. 12
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 12, 2021
Nurses unions slam Kaiser Permanente’s expansion of home-based services … CDC: Sepsis-related deaths in seniors declined from 2000 to 2019 … Dexamethasone tied to lower risk of death, severe...
Benefits of shingles shot outweigh seniors’ risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome, federal investigators...
By
Alicia Lasek
Nov 11, 2021
Clinicians should be aware of these risks, but weigh them against the benefits of decreasing the likelihood of shingles and its complications, according to investigators from the CDC, FDA and CMS.
CDC hopes $500 million will bring nursing homes, surveyors closer
By
Danielle Brown
Nov 04, 2021
Federal health leaders and long-term care stakeholders are hopeful that a new $500 million nursing home strike team program will be a collaborative partnership between providers and inspectors that reduces...
OIG eyes COVID-19 reporting requirements for nursing homes
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 20, 2021
More scrutiny will soon be placed on the federal government’s COVID-19 reporting requirements for providers and how they’re handled. The Office of Inspector General ratcheted up pressure Tuesday when...
Nursing home COVID cases, deaths trending downward, CDC’s latest data show
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 18, 2021
Rates have steadily fallen since an uptick in September, according to data submitted by facilities to the agency’s National Healthcare Safety Network.
Data points to steady decline in nursing home COVID cases, deaths
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 18, 2021
The rebound in census that skilled nursing operators saw before the delta variant could be closer to returning since COVID-19 deaths and hospitalizations among facilities are on a path toward decline.
New CDC effort to bring clarity to COVID-19’s impact in long-term care facilities
By
Danielle Brown
Oct 13, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is launching a new effort aimed at using data to better recognize and understand public health threats and their impact on long-term care facilities.
CDC data reveal drug types most linked to emergency department visits among seniors
By
Alicia Lasek
Oct 06, 2021
Emergency department visits for medication harm to older adults most frequently involve prescribed anticoagulants and diabetes drugs, according to a new federal study.