CMS Issues Vaccine Requirement for Healthcare Professionals On November 4th, 2021, CMS issued an emergency regulation requiring nursing home staff and other eligible health care professionals to be fully vaccinated by January 4th. Facilities covered under this regulation will be required to implement a vaccine policy by December 6th. Click here for additional details published by CMS. OSHA Vaccine Requirement Stayed

HHS Extends Public Health Emergency HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra announced on October 15th the extension of the public health emergency (PHE) as a result of COVID-19. The PHE will be extended for another 90-day period beginning on October 18th. Click here for the formal declaration issued by Secretary Becerra. Colder Weather Could Cause Delta Wave to Linger

Biden Administration Announces $25.5B in Provider Relief Funding The Biden Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will make available $25.5 billion in funding to assist providers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Of this funding, HHS will make available $17 billion for the provider relief funding (RPF) program, which will be phase 4…

Skilled Nursing Facilities Given 80 Percent Staff Vaccination Goal in Pennsylvania All in-state skilled nursing facilities will be expected to reach a staff COVID-19 vaccination rate of 80 percent, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. Despite not being a mandate, skilled nursing facilities will be subjected to increased COVID-19 testing for failure to meet the 80 percent threshold. …

Nursing Home Occupancy on the Rise According to a report published by the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing & Care (NIC), skilled nursing home occupancy has increased for a third consecutive month. The NIC report illustrates growing optimism in the industry as occupancy has increased from 71.3% in January 2021 to 73.2% in April 2021…

Skilled Nursing Facilities Discuss Post-Pandemic Challenges This month’s Synergy Summit featured a panel discussion regarding the post-pandemic challenges facing skilled nursing facilities. The panel included Chief Executive Officers from Plum Healthcare, Ignite Medical Resorts, Marquis Limited, and Bandera. The CEOs provided insight on how their respective companies were addressing challenges of the current market. Topics discussed…

New CMS Rule to Meant Increase COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a new rule that revises the infection control protocol for long-term care (LTC) facilities and intermediate care facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The new rule requires facilities to educate residents about the vaccine and to ensure that vaccines are…

Public Health Emergency Extended US HHS announced the renewal of the public health emergency for another 90 days effective April 21st. The renewal of the public health emergency will also extended several COVID-19 response policies that are linked to the emergency, including the continuous coverage (MOE) requirement that prohibits states who have accepted the…