If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view.

Friday, April 24, 2020

SPONSORED BY
Post-Acute Leadership Forum

Join us this Fall at the Post-Acute Leadership forum in Litchfield Park, AZ. This event is specifically designed for decision-makers at skilled nursing facilities and home health agencies to meet with a variety solution providers to find the right solutions for your needs.

Home Health

COVID-19: OTs can temporarily perform initial assessments

Now occupational therapists from home health agencies can perform initial assessments on certain homebound patients. This allows home health services to begin and lets home health nurses do more direct patient care. This is part of CMS’ latest efforts to relax a number of rules so that health care facilities can increase their frontline medical …

Skilled Nursing Facility

COVID-19 reporting violations could lead to hefty fines for SNFs

SNFs will soon be required to report all COVID-19 cases to the CDC on a weekly basis, and failure to do so could lead to Civil monetary penalties (CMPs). The CMPs for non-compliant facilities will likely be around $1,000 a week, increasing over time for facilities that don’t comply, explained CMS administrator Seema Verma in …

Featured Product

Monthly In-Service: April issue of CNA Training Advisor

Understand how to treat chronic conditions in residents. Get the latest issue to receive a new lesson plan, including course materials, a 4-page in-service, and a quiz targeted to address the unique needs, interests, and concerns of CNAs.

Home Health

Immune response in mice triggered by Microneedle coronavirus vaccine

When delivered to mice using microneedles, an experimental vaccine for COVID-19 caused antibody production against the disease within two weeks, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Researchers are in the process of acquiring permission for human clinical trials. Treatments and vaccines for COVID-19 are urgently needed to change the course of this pandemic. …

Skilled Nursing Facility

CMS is working to standardize COVID-19 reporting

In an effort to better track COVID-19 cases in LTCs, CMS is working to implement a standard reporting requirement. “There’s a critical gap in reporting COVID-19 cases nationwide” said Jean Moody-Williams, a CMS spokesperson in a call on April 22. In addition to reporting confirmed cases of COVID-19 to CMS and the CDC, LTCs will …

PPS Alert for Long-Term Care

The CDC 12-step program for antimicrobial resistance

The Centers for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC) has developed a 12-step program for addressing antimicrobial resistance in healthcare settings. Because antimicrobial resistance has become an increasing concern in long-term care as well as in society in general, the advisory council for the CDC has developed important suggestions for dealing with amazingly adaptive and resistant microorganisms.