[Updated] CMS Releases Emergency Regulation Requiring COVID-19 Vaccinations for Medicare, Medicaid Providers

The Biden-Harris administration announced in September that all U.S. health care workers would be required to get vaccinated as part of its six-pronged national COVID-19 strategy. Since then, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has been putting together its guidance to help steer that process. The agency released its interim emergency regulation […]

Verma: Older Adults Must Have a ‘More Robust’ Set of Home Care Options

The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on Monday touted several tools designed to help states rebalance their long-term care ecosystem toward home- and community-based services.  The development is the latest in a series of CMS efforts aimed at strengthening home- and community-based services amid the COVID-19 pandemic, with the ultimate goal of […]

Senior Care Stakeholders: Latest COVID-19 Relief Proposal Is ‘Shameful,’ ‘Anemic’

Senate Republicans are close to unveiling their latest version of another coronavirus relief bill, with reports suggesting party leaders may do so Wednesday or soon thereafter. The proposal — first obtained by Washington, D.C.-based newsroom Roll Call — is viewed as a “skinny” version of the previously released HEALS Act from July. Among its provisions, […]

With 40% of Nursing Homes Close to Shutting Down, the ‘Shift to Home’ Is Likely to Accelerate

Across the country, home health nurses and therapists continue to struggle with restrictions around seeing their patients in nursing homes, assisted living communities and other long-term care facilities. Unfortunately, those restrictions aren’t likely to go away anytime soon, especially when it comes to facilities located in Sun Belt states. According to a new report from […]