Federal COVID funding averted skilled nursing ‘collapse,’ but new dangers ahead
By
Danielle Brown
May 12, 2022
Federal COVID-19 relief funding saved the skilled nursing industry from crumbling during the earlier days of the pandemic as providers struggled with increased expenses and historic occupancy lows, an...
Providers, patients fear loss of ‘critical’ waivers if vigilance lapses and PHE not extended
By
Danielle Brown
May 12, 2022
A group of 15 healthcare organizations on Tuesday warned a top health official that providers and patients could lose “vital” flexibilities if the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) isn’t extended...
DaVita exec skeptical pandemic is receding
By
Diane Eastabrook
May 11, 2022
The chief financial officer for global dialysis provider DaVita Health is throwing cold water on the notion that the COVID-19 pandemic is ending anytime soon.
Lawmaker wants more surveys for Special Focus Facility nursing homes
By
Danielle Brown
May 10, 2022
A key U.S. lawmaker is calling on the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to address reported lags in surveys of nursing homes in the Special Focus Facility program after finding that 1 in 5 are overdue...
Skilled nursing occupancy highest since April 2020
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
May 10, 2022
Demand for skilled nursing is on the rise, as occupancy continues to recover from pandemic lows, according to the latest Skilled Nursing Monthly Report released by the National Investment Center for...
Feds deny provider request to speed up process for prevailing wage for foreign RNs
By
Danielle Brown
May 10, 2022
The Department of Labor told long-care providers that it cannot expedite the prevailing wage determination process for foreign-born registered nurses after they called on the agency to streamline the system...
11% of state’s nursing homes facing closure, survey finds
By
Danielle Brown
May 09, 2022
About 11% of nursing home operators in Minnesota are considering selling their facility or closing their doors due to continued financial strain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a new survey has found.
Providers reveal why they didn’t collapse under federal staff vaccination mandate
By
James M. Berklan
May 06, 2022
Nobody can ever accuse long-term care providers of not being passionate.
Every breath you take
By
Gary Tetz
May 05, 2022
As pandemic testing becomes more sophisticated, a creepy song from the ’80s takes on new and ominous relevance. “Every breath you take I’ll be watching you,” warned The Police, and now that an...
Why we need to audit our way into cost savings
By
Michael Wilson
May 05, 2022
Long-term care facilities are getting whammed by inflation. Everything they purchase, from food to nursing supplies, has gone up in recent months. Meanwhile, staffing costs have also jumped tremendously...
