CMS seeks to ease COVID staff testing burden on rural operators
Some nursing homes have been required to conduct staff testing at a higher frequency than necessary, the agency said in explaining recent changes to its testing methodology.
Rural Areas
Clinical Briefs for Wednesday, January 22
DNA test aims for earlier glaucoma diagnosis, blindness prevention … Rural elderly have higher mortality in post-acute care than their urban peers … Steps to prevent suicide in nursing homes proposed
Will telehealth help keep rural LTC residents healthy after discharge? Study aims to find out
Researchers will follow a group of discharged long-term care residents to test the benefits of telehealth nurse access in rural areas.
OIG says critical access swing beds should be paid at SNF rates
New legislation should be introduced to significantly change the way rural-based hospitals are reimbursed for care provided in post-acute care swing beds, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General told the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services this week.
MedPAC: A quarter of Medicare hospital readmissions are preventable
One-quarter of hospital admissions among Medicare beneficiaries are preventable, with the leading cause for those readmissions is heart failure, a Medicare advisory board report noted.
