Nursing Home Compare Quarterly Refresh
From CMS: “The July 2020 Nursing Home Compare refresh, including quality measure results based on SNF QRP data submitted to CMS, is now available. For this refresh SNF QRP assessment-based …
Trump Administration Announces New Resources to Protect Nursing Home Residents Against COVID-19
From CMS: HHS will devote $5 billion of the Provider Relief Fund authorized by the CARES Act to Medicare-certified long term care facilities and state veterans’ homes to build nursing …
Nursing Homes with Three or More COVID-19 Cases will Be Prioritized for Point-of-Care Tests
From McKnight’s: “The federal government will prioritize nursing homes with three or more coronavirus cases during the initial distribution of point-of-care COVID-19 tests.” “During a call with nursing homes Wednesday …
Important Deadline: Notice of Non-Compliance Related to Annual Payment Update
CMS is providing notifications to facilities that were determined to be out of compliance with Quality Reporting Program (QRP) requirements for CY 2019, which will affect their FY 2021 Annual …
CMS Directs Additional Resources to Nursing Homes in COVID-19 Hotspot Areas
From CMS: “CMS announced the agency’s targeted approach to provide additional resources to nursing homes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) hotspot areas. Specifically, CMS plans to deploy Quality Improvement Organizations …
MassHealth Nursing Facility Providers Required to Test All Staff for COVID-19 by July 19, 2020
MassHealth is requiring that all MassHealth nursing facility providers conduct baseline testing of their total Staff for COVID-19 by July 19, 2020, in accordance with the requirements of Nursing Facility …
CMS: All Nursing Homes Must Resume Submitting Staffing Data Through the PBJ System by August 14, 2020
Today CMS announced plans to end the emergency blanket waiver requiring all nursing homes to resume submitting staffing data through the Payroll-Based Journal (PBJ) system by August 14, 2020. The …
Medicare Coverage of COVID-19 Testing for Nursing Home Residents and Patients
CMS has instructed MACs and notified Medicare Advantage plans to cover COVID-19 lab tests for nursing home residents and patients. This instruction follows the CDC’s recent update of COVID-19 testing guidelines …
House Launches Investigation into COVID-19 Nursing Home Deaths
The U.S. House of Representatives launched an investigation into the coronavirus crisis in nursing homes, sending letters to CMS and the nation’s five largest for-profit nursing home companies. “The Subcommittee …
Nursing Homes: Updated COVID-19 Testing Guidelines from the CDC
The CDC recently updated its COVID-19 testing guidelines for nursing home residents and personnel. The updates include: Reorganized recommendations to address: Viral testing of healthcare personnel (HCP) Viral testing of …