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COVID-19/Coronavirus

Clinical briefs for Thursday, Aug. 11
Clinical briefs for Thursday, Aug. 11
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 11, 2022

Taste and smell recovery after COVID-19 takes time, researchers say … Upper heart chamber abnormalities linked to dementia risk … National MS Society to launch 40 new multiple sclerosis research projects…

Major nursing home association urges COVID emergency extension, revised guidance
Major nursing home association urges COVID emergency extension, revised guidance
By
John Hall
Aug 10, 2022

The nation’s largest nursing home group has requested the federal government extend the current public health emergency declaration as providers continue their fight against emerging COVID variants. 

Extend PHE while updating COVID protocols, nursing home advocate urges feds
Extend PHE while updating COVID protocols, nursing home advocate urges feds
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 10, 2022

Safety and quality of life in LTC settings are not mutually exclusive, Mark Parkinson, president and CEO of AHCA/NCAL told federal health officials Tuesday.

Payment

An update on President Biden’s initiatives for long-term care
An update on President Biden’s initiatives for long-term care
By
Angela Rinehart
Norris Cunningham
Jul 25, 2022

President Joe Biden gave his State of the Union address on March 1, 2022. Markedly, he announced his intention to “set higher standards for nursing homes” to “make sure your loved ones get the care…

Clinical briefs for Monday, July 18
Clinical briefs for Monday, July 18
By
Alicia Lasek
Jul 18, 2022

SNFs “significantly reduced” occupational, physical therapy use following PDPM … Dementia-focused programming highlights individuals over disease … National 988 mental health crisis hotline readied…

SNFs ‘significantly reduced’ occupational, physical therapy use following PDPM
SNFs ‘significantly reduced’ occupational, physical therapy use following PDPM
By
Danielle Brown
Jul 15, 2022

The Patient Driven Payment Model led to a “significant reduction” in occupational and physical therapy minutes in its first few months of implementation, a new study has found. The results reinforce…

Policy

Providers both relieved and angry after CMS changes course on pay rates, extends phase-in period
Providers both relieved and angry after CMS changes course on pay rates, extends phase-in period
By
Danielle Brown
Aug 01, 2022

Although many skilled nursing providers let out a sigh of relief after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced a 2.7% net pay increase for SNFs in 2023 on Friday, others were still expressing…

Research supports COVID-19 booster shot mandates for SNF workers
Research supports COVID-19 booster shot mandates for SNF workers
By
James M. Berklan
Aug 01, 2022

With the prospect of new strains of the COVID-19 virus looming, researchers are making a case for states to impose vaccination booster shot mandates on nursing home employees.

BREAKING: CMS finalizes 2.7% pay raise, two year phase-in for PDPM cuts
BREAKING: CMS finalizes 2.7% pay raise, two year phase-in for PDPM cuts
By
Danielle Brown
Jul 29, 2022

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on Friday afternoon announced a finalized cut to nursing home Medicare pay rates for fiscal 2023. 

Clinical Updates

Assisted living residents with dementia had higher all-cause mortality during pandemic
Assisted living residents with dementia had higher all-cause mortality during pandemic
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 10, 2022

Assisted living residents with dementia were more likely to die from any cause in the early months of the pandemic than AL residents without dementia, a new study has found.

Primary care clinicians on front lines of early Alzheimer’s care in rural U.S., study reveals
Primary care clinicians on front lines of early Alzheimer’s care in rural U.S., study reveals
By
Alicia Lasek
Aug 09, 2022

Primary care doctors and NPs, rather than specialists, are more likely to provide care for early-onset dementias in rural areas.

Workforce Issues

The best employee almost was not hired
The best employee almost was not hired
By
Martie Moore
Jul 29, 2022

Brent was the type of person that you wanted to meet. He had a smile that was like a ray of sunshine upon you. He knew everyone’s name, and people knew him. I stood next to the hiring manager, and she…

Providers already have the answers to their staffing problems — if they know where to look
Providers already have the answers to their staffing problems — if they know where to look
Jul 12, 2022

Long-term care providers can win the recruiting battle for workers by using current staff members’ own observations to better build their “employee brand,” advises a top consultant, former administrator…

The solution to your staffing problems? Listen, learn, change
The solution to your staffing problems? Listen, learn, change
By
James M. Berklan
Jun 02, 2022

With more than 40 years in healthcare as a provider, and more significantly as a strategic market analyst, Irving Stackpole knows a thing or 300 about your business and the struggles you face.