Late Thursday afternoon, July 29, 2021, CMS issued a final rule updating Medicare payment policies and rates for Skilled Nursing Facilities (SNFs) under the SNF Prospective Payment System (PPS) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2022. In addition, the final rule includes several policies that update the SNF Quality Reporting Program and … Read More
CMS Use of Data on Nursing Home Staffing: Progress and Opportunities to Do More (OIG Report)
“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has taken important steps to build a new source for data on nursing home staffing and to use these data to better inform consumers and improve nursing home oversight. CMS provides the public with some of this staffing information on the Care … Read More
FDA Authorizes Monoclonal Antibodies for Treatment of COVID-19
Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP | Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On February 9, 2021 the FDA announced that an emergency use authorization (EUA) has been issued for “bamlanivimab and etesevimab to be administered together for the treatment of mild to moderate COVID-19 in adults and pediatric patients (12 years … Read More
Five-Star User’s Guide: State-level health inspection cut point table updated
CMS has updated the Five-Star Technical Users’ Guide … State-Level Health Inspection Cut Point Table. This document (4 pages including title page) – Five Star Quality Rating System Technical Users’ Guide: State Level Health Inspection Cut Point Table – provides the data for the state-level cut points for the star ratings … Read More
HHS extends Public Health Emergency (PHE) through end of 2021, at minimum
Late Friday evening (January 22, 2020), the Acting U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Norris Cochran sent a letter to state Governors indicating that in addition to extending the current public health emergency (PHE) for an additional 90-days, effective January 21st, HHS has made the decision that the PHE “will … Read More