News

Hospitals are slowly recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic with rising patient volumes. Skilled Nursing News reports they are now reaching pre-pandemic levels. Nursing home operators are dependent on hospitals for referrals of new patients. Dr. Ben Zaniello, chief medical officer of PointClickCare, believes that it is necessary for operators to improve relationships with referring hospitals…

A new study has found that patients who are older and have acute heart failure-related hospitalizations benefit more from “early, transitional, tailored, progressive rehabilitation” therapy reports McKnights. There are more functional benefits and patients have an enhanced quality of life. The patients studied were frailer, had frequent hospitalizations and a prolonged recovery. The study included…

The number of hospitalizations and deaths for extremity fractures has decreased in seniors and especially women. However, these individuals are being hospitalized for other kinds of fractures reports McKnights. Skilled nursing facilities offering acute rehabilitation care should be prepared for therapy that will be required by these patients. A study surveyed hospitalizations among seniors caused…

On May 21, a new rule from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) goes into effect. McKnights reports that nursing home operators will be required to not only offer COVID-19 vaccinations to staff but also educate them on it. The rule will be enforced starting June 13. If operators are not able to…

A study conducted by researchers and Mark Jones, M.D. from University of Southampton, England and NIHR Southampton biomedical Research Center states that a third of patients who had severe COVID-19 have lung changes or related conditions a year after being discharged from the hospital. It is reported in McKnights that this study states patients who…

Earlier this week, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that skilled nursing facilities will need to provide data on the COVID-19 vaccination uptake among staff and residents. The data should be reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). Skilled Nursing News reports that collected…

The skilled nursing industry has been adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic since Spring 2020. With continuous vaccinations of residents and staff, nursing home are slowly re-opening their doors. Skilled Nursing News reports that occupancy rates can be near pre-pandemic rates by the first quarter of 2022 as stated by Rick Matros, CEO of Sabra…

COVID-19 vaccinations have been permitted in skilled nursing facilities since December 2020. Additionally, new research is indicating a combination of monoclonal antibody therapies is also effective against coronavirus. Research shows a combination of drugs is more effective treatment instead of a single-drug prescription. McKnight’s reports federal health officials are advising skilled nursing operators to use…

Skilled nursing facilities reported higher payments than expected for Medicare reimbursement for last year. Skilled Nursing News states the federal government will be assessing these payment claims. Operators should be prepared for these surveys by ensuring thorough reports and documentations. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced they will be bringing change to…