Online resource packed with regulatory news and expert guidance, tips & tools pertinent to professionals across the post-acute care continuum.
CMS has provided supplemental information for transferring and discharging SNF residents based on their COVID-19 status (positive, negative, unknown/under observation). If two SNFs want to band together to transfer residents between facilities to separate COVID-19 positive residents from COVID-19 negative residents, the SNFs do not need any approval to do so. However, if SNFs wish […]
More than 3,600 deaths in LTC facilities across the U.S. have been liked to COVID-19, according to the most recent count by The Associated Press (AP). Although the federal government has not been keeping a tally of COVID-19 related deaths in LTC facilities, AP has compiled a tally based on state counts and media reports. […]
On April 10, 2020, CMS issued a proposed rule [CMS-1737-P] for fiscal year (FY) 2021 that updates the Medicare payment rates and quality programs for SNFs. The proposed rule affects Medicare payment to SNFs, as well as includes proposals that reduce provider burden and may help providers in the COVID-19 response, according to the CMS […]
Long-term care regulatory expert Stefanie Corbett chats with us on our first Post-Acute Advisor Podcast. Corbett tells us what facilities should be doing right now to prepare for COVID-19, and what to do with suspected or confirmed cases. We also discuss keeping staff safe and healthy, visitation policies, and how to keep trucking on.
SNFs: Use the CMS Focused COVID-19 Infection Control Survey Tool to self-assess your IPCP plans. AHCA/NCAL also have issued guidance: https://www.ahcancal.org/facility_operations/disaster_planning/Pages/Coronavirus.aspx Be sure, however, to follow CDC and CMS directly, and check in with their website and guidance often. Yesterday, April 2, new guidance was issued, as well as the sobering results of recent CMS surveys […]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued new recommendations to SNFs, as well as state and local governments. According to a CMS press release, these recommendations were developed as CMS “worked hand-in-hand with the CDC.” During an initial wave of surveys conducted the week of March 30, CMS found that 36% of facilities […]
This article was first published on Monday, March 30, 2020 in Kaiser Health News. Editor’s note: According to March 13, 2020 Guidance by CMS: Nursing homes should admit any individuals that they would normally admit to their facility, including individuals from hospitals where a case of COVID-19 was/is present. Also, if possible, dedicate a unit/wing […]
The Trump Administration has suspended regulatory barriers and will now allow hospitals to clear precious bed capacity by triaging non-COVID-19 patients in thousands of ambulatory surgery centers, rehab hospitals, and even hotels and college dorms. The sweeping “Hospitals Without Walls” initiative takes effect immediately, will last through the duration of the pandemic, and allows hospitals […]