New COVID Vaccines Available, but Payment Issues Complicate Access for Nursing Homes

McKnight's Long-Term Care News
Two new COVID vaccines have been approved for use, and experts continue to encourage seniors to get the booster, but payment issues for nursing homes and long-term care pharmacies complicate access for residents. This article includes comments from PALTmed President Rajeev Kumar, MD, FACP, CMD, and others. Read more.

How Nursing Home Providers Can Optimize Reimbursement Under PDPM-Based Medicaid Models

Skilled Nursing News
As the Medicaid payment system transitions across states to the Patient-Driven Payment Model (PDPM), nursing home operators must be wary of misconceptions—including that the transitions will always lead to additional Medicaid funds being available—while putting in place the right practices to ensure appropriate payments. Read more.

COVID Cases Rise in Nursing Homes, Vax Rates Remain Low

CDC
COVID-19 continues to disproportionately affect nursing home residents, with confirmed cases rising to 8.4 per 1,000 residents as of August 4, 2024. Despite this increase, only 31% of nursing home residents were up-to-date with COVID vaccines as of July 28, 2024. The CDC now recommends an additional updated 2023-2024 COVID vaccine dose for adults aged 65 years or older. Read more.

Avoidable Hospitalizations in Frail Older Adults: The Role of Sociodemographic, Clinical, and Care-Related Factors

JAMDA
This study aims to investigate the relationship between frailty and avoidable hospitalization risk, and the moderating role of sociodemographic, clinical, and care-related factors. Read more.

Better Physical Health, Higher Education Lowers an Assisted Living Resident's Risk of Transfer to a Nursing Home: Study

McKnight's Senior Living
Better physical health and a college education are among the leading factors that could lower an assisted living resident's risk of transferring to a nursing home later in life, according to new study results. Read more.

'A National Crisis': New AHCA Report Shows Alarming Trends in Nursing Home Access

Skilled Nursing News
The crisis of access to nursing home care across the United States has deepened — and is projected to get worse. A new report from the American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living released shows that nursing homes have shut down at an alarming rate, driven by economic pressures and workforce shortages, with the recent federal mandate only threatening to exacerbate the situation. Read more.