Tag: Nursing Homes

CMS Launches New Tool to Compare Nursing Home Vaccination Rates

Hospice organizations provide a significant level of services to nursing facility patients and have experienced numerous challenges throughout the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency delivering care to nursing home patients. Therefore, NAHC believes hospice providers might be interested in recent action taken by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to provide public access to…

COVID-19 Nursing Home Commission Issues Final Recommendations; Addresses Issues Relevant to Hospice Care in Facilities

In response to the ongoing and widespread impact of the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) on nursing home residents throughout the country, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) authorized creation of an independent National Commission on Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes to address safety and quality in nursing homes in relation to…

CMS Updates Nursing Home Visitation Guidance

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a memo updating the visitation guidelines for nursing home residents.  The memo also includes information on “compassionate care situations”, access of vendors an contracted staff (i.e. hospice staff), and the use of Civil Money Penalty (CMP) funds to purchase tents for outdoor visitation and/or clear…

Interim Final Rule for Nursing Homes Impacts Hospices

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an interim file rule with comment period (IFC) which includes pertinent regulatory revisions for long term care (LTC) facilities in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).  Specifically, facilities are required to test residents and staff — including individuals providing services under arrangement and volunteers…

NAHC Conveys Hospice Concerns to National Nursing Home Commission

The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) is urging the independent National Commission on Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes (the Commission) to ensure that residents of nursing homes have access to hospice care, whether in the form of safe, in-person visits or by telehealth communication. In response to the ongoing and widespread…

Nursing Home Commission Seeks Public Input on COVID-19 Protections and Care Needs

An Independent Commission to Address Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes (Commission) is calling for public comments to improve care delivery during an emergency and prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases in nursing homes.  Hospice providers and other stakeholders are encouraged to submit comments, but time is limited – any submission must…

CMS Issues COVID-19 Recommendations to Nursing Homes

Late last week the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued critical recommendations to state and local governments, as well as nursing homes, to help mitigate the spread of the 2019 novel coronavirus COVID-19 in nursing homes. Nursing homes have become an accelerator…

CMS Issues Revised COVID-19 Guidance for Nursing Homes with Clearer Exception for Hospice Workers

NAHC advocacy wins key revision for hospice care The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has revised a memo issued last week to allow hospice workers to access facilities to provide care to patients. Last week NAHC reported on memos released by The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Safety and Oversight Group…

President’s Budget Reinforces Goal of Unified Post-Acute Payment System, Takes Aim at Hospice in Nursing Homes

On Monday, February 10, 2020, a general outline of the President’s fiscal year (FY) 2021 budget was submitted to Congress. The FY2021 budget proposes to reduce spending on programs administered by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) by $1.6 trillion over the next 10 years, including $500 billion from Medicare and $920 billion…

New Report on Hospice and Nursing Home Contracting

PLEASE NOTE THAT TODAY IS THE FINAL DAY NAHC REPORT WILL BE PUBLISHED IN 2018. WE WILL RETURN ON JANUARY 2, 2019. The office of the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recently released a report, Trends in Nursing Home-Hospice Contracting and Common Ownership Between…