Last week, the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) released a white paper on its recommendations for value-based care model alignment policies for nursing facilities and assisted living communities.
AHCA argues in the paper, titled "Advancing Accountable Care for Long Term Care...Arizona News
Congressional Republicans have locked onto a state tax used to fund Medicaid programs as a potential avenue for Medicaid cuts, but the nursing home industry is vehemently opposed.
The Medicaid provider tax dates back to the late 1980s, when it was implemented as a creative budgeting solution for states that had a hard time paying for...CMS Rules
The Biden administration's nursing home minimum staffing rule could have a major impact on states' Medicaid programs, adding another layer of complexity to the highly anticipated and very controversial rule.
The nursing home minimum staffing rule is estimated to cost the residential care home industry up to $6.5 billion in additional...National News
Nursing homes are decrying the severity of the nursing workforce shortage as the minimum staffing proposal looms large.
More than 500 nursing home providers joined a protest on Capitol Hill this week to sound the alarm on legislation that could implement a minimum staffing measure for nursing homes. According to Skilled Nursing News,...
Nursing homes continue to experience the worst job loss of any other healthcare sector according to new analysis from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), but Congress is cautioning against the use of skilled nursing facility (SNF) staffing minimums planned by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Also, CMS is working to...
Despite an increased interest in entering the medical field, there aren't enough new or potential specialists to meet demands. Across sectors, businesses, advocacy groups and lawmakers are working to drum up interest and increase recruitment efforts.
Average starting salaries for specialties like orthopedic surgery and cardiology are...
The staffing shortage in nursing homes predated the COVID-19 health emergency, but has been exacerbated by the pandemic to an alarming degree. The American Health Care Association (AHCA) has said that the vast majority of nursing homes do not meet existing federal staffing minimums and these levels are having dangerous outcomes for...
Following reported success of both the COVID-19 vaccine Comirnaty and the antiviral pill Paxlovid, Pfizer has announced that it will move forward on new vaccines to combat the coronavirus pandemic and influenza at the same time. Meanwhile, stakeholders are requesting an extension of the public health emergency declaration beyond its...
Last Friday, the Biden administration announced it will immediately increase enforcement for nursing home requirements and tighten quality requirements for poor-performing facilities.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) said that it would provide resources for poorly-performing nursing homes but maintains the threat...
On Monday, the U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued a Surgeon General's Advisory on the healthcare worker shortage plaguing our nation's medical infrastructure. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the staffing crunch in hospitals, long-term care facilities and health systems leading to dire, unprecedented shortages across the U.S....
The nursing workforce shortage shows no sign of letting up, with concerns rising for providers both nationally and in Arizona. While the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) debates efforts to intervene with workforce protections from future COVID surges, experts suggest that efforts for recruitment and retention may...
Calls for an end to the formal declaration of public health emergency (PHE) related to the COVID-19 pandemic are gaining traction in the lull following the surge in cases, hospitalizations and deaths related to the Omicron variant. Nursing homes are only just now required to demonstrate full vaccination of all staff members, and...
The Biden Administration’s nursing home reform plan was unveiled earlier this month, with emphasis on improving quality of care. The plan includes more than 20 initiatives, with minimum staffing requirements a top priority. The plan was met with discontent from industry stakeholders who assert the implication that nursing home quality...
The White House issued a fact sheet at the end of February announcing a plan to improve safety and quality of care at nursing homes by focusing on staffing. Now, industry leaders are responding to Biden's proposed plan while states attempt to address key components of the staffing shortage, such as the rising cost of staffing...CMS Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its guidance for nursing home visitations during the COVID-19 pandemic this week. Although the guidance relaxes previous regulations, the agency notes its concern for the vaccination rates of nursing home employees. Unfortunately, unlike most other areas of the medical...CMS Rules
Across the board, providers are unhappy and vocal about the calendar year 2021 pay rule released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) last week. Due to strict budget neutrality, the agency offset a pay increase for primary care providers by cutting payment to specialists by up to 10%.
Primary care doctors and nurses...Arizona News
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has strongly encouraged nursing homes to increase their efforts in controlling COVID-19 inside facilities after the number of residents infected reached a record high, and as new deaths have started rising once again.
Arizona is close to reopening nursing homes to visitors after...Arizona News
Last Thursday, CMS released the update of COVID-19 data in nursing homes and corrected their numbers for precision. The initial data release was met with concern over a number of misreported numbers for facilities across the country, as well as missing data from some facilities that submitted information close to the...
