News
New COVID-19 Variants Found in Kentucky Skilled Nursing Facility
A new variant of COVID-19 has been found in residents of a Kentucky nursing home. The variant has infected vaccinated and unvaccinated residents alike. In an article published in McKnight’s, it is stated that providers must continue to closely monitor outbreaks in long-term care facilities. The new variant affected 14 staff members and 27 residents…
Read MoreStaffing Concerns in Skilled Nursing Facilities
The COVID- 19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the long-term care industry. On Wednesday, March 17th, the Senate Finance Committee held a hearing to hear first-hand accounts of the impact coronavirus has had on nursing homes staff. The problems discussed were nationwide and similar across all states. Almost all nursing homes across the…
Read MoreMore Nursing Home Staff Willing to Get Vaccinated
The long-term care industry was among the first out of many to receive COVID-19 vaccines in December of last year. While some staff members were eager to receive the vaccination, others hesitated. OnShift, a software firm, conducted a survey of post-acute and senior living workers to assess their willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. The…
Read MoreOccupancy Rates Slowly Rise in Skilled Nursing Facilities
The skilled nursing industry, which was greatly impacted by COVID-19, has stabilized since the initiation of vaccinations among residents and staff. Infection rates and new cases have been on the decline since the beginning of this year. Skilled Nursing News reports that COVID-19 cases in February 2021 were the lowest in nursing homes since May…
Read MoreGeography not the Only Contributing Factor to COVID-19 Outbreaks
The Center for Medicare Advocacy (CMA) released a report stating that multiple factors contributed to the spread of COVID-19 in skilled nursing facilities. CMA is a non-profit law organization that advocates for Medicare beneficiaries. CMA argued that geography was not the only factor. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society published an article stating that…
Read MoreCMS Not Ready to Lift Visitation Restrictions for Nursing Homes
Residents in nursing homes across the country have been receiving COVID-19 vaccinations steadily since December of 2020. This has led to a decrease in infection rates in nursing homes. However, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is not willing to loosen the visiting guidelines in skilled nursing facilities just yet. Evan Shulman, CMS director…
Read MoreHow Home Health Care Trends Can Affect Skilled Nursing Industry
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought an unprecedented challenges to the skilled nursing industry. Nursing homes have been especially criticized due to the number of deaths and lack of access families have had to their loved ones. Focus has shifted to home health care where families can look after their loved ones in the safety of…
Read MoreSkilled Nursing Facilities Should Prepare for PDPM Audits
The new PPDM (Patient Driven Payment Model) was implemented in October 2019. As the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in March 2020, skilled nursing operators were relieved to have this new payment model. Operators claimed that the new model helped them survive the unprecedented crisis. Now as skilled nursing facilities are able to manage…
Read MoreNursing Homes Have Seen Record Low Occupancy Rates
As vaccinations for COVID-19 continue in skilled nursing facilities, the rate of infections among residents is gradually decreasing. During the month of January, the number of cases decreased from 26,860 to 9,802 among nursing home residents according to CliftonLarsonAllen(CLA) services firm. The national rates of occupancy are also stabilizing with a slight increase from the…
Read MoreProjected Losses and Closures for Nursing Home Industry
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has adversely affected industries across the nation and globe. Skilled nursing facilities have been greatly impacted with increased infection rates and deaths. According to a projection from the American Health Care Association (AHCA), nursing homes will lose $22.6 billion in revenue in the year of 2021. This projection is primarily based…
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