Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare While personnel shortages existed in the health care community before the pandemic, the pandemic exacerbated these shortages. Maintaining an appropriate level of personnel in health care facilities is essential to providing a safe work environment for health care personnel and quality care to patients. The Pandemic…… Continue reading Review of Personnel Shortages in Federal Health Care Programs During the COVID-19 Pandemic 

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare COVID-19 vaccine recommendations have been updated as of September 12. This page will be updated to align with the new recommendations.  The CDC issued this Press Release on that same date. “CDC recommends everyone 6 months and older get an updated COVID-19 vaccine to protect against…… Continue reading Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On September 11, the FDA approved and authorized for emergency use updated Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines formulated to more closely target currently circulating variants and provide better protection against serious consequences of COVID-19, including hospitalization and death. These vaccines have been updated to include a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to…… Continue reading COVID-19: Updated mRNA Vaccines for Patients 6 Months & Older

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the nursing home COVID-19 data for the week ending August 30, 2023. Comparing the August 30th data to the August 6th data (24 days apart): Residents up to date with the vaccines decreased 0.1% Staff up to date with the vaccines remains the same…… Continue reading Latest Nursing Home COVID-19 Data From CMS, CDC and NHSN

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The title of this blog is the title of the August 19, 2023 New York Times article with these opening paragraphs: “The first terrifying wave of Covid-19 caused 60,000 deaths among residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities within five months.  As the pandemic…… Continue reading How Nursing Homes Failed to Protect Residents From COVID

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the nursing home data for the week ending August 6, 2023. Comparing the August 6th data to the July 23rd data (2 weeks apart): Residents up to date with the vaccines decreased 0.1% Staff up to date with the vaccines remains the same…… Continue reading Latest CMS, CDC and NHSN Nursing Home Data

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the NH data for the week ending July 23, 2023. For a listing of vaccination rates for individual nursing homes, click here. The information comes up in an Excel spreadsheet entitled: Recent Facility Resident and Staff Vaccination Rates and Other Data, as reported for week…… Continue reading Latest CMS, CDC and NHSN COVID-19 Nursing Home Data

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Today (Wednesday, August 2, 2023), the Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMCS) released a State Medicaid Director Letter to facilitate the continuation of home and community-based services (HCBS) waiver flexibilities requested by states during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). The letter automatically amends the…… Continue reading CMS Releases New Guidance to Ensure Continuity of Key Flexibilities Implemented During the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On July 25, 2023, CMS posted QSO-23-02-ALL … EXPIRED EFFECTIVE: June 5, 2023. The Staff Vaccination Requirements have expired for all providers: Long-Term Care and Skilled Nursing Facility Attachment A-Expired 6/5/2023 Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASC) Attachment Expired 6/5/2023 Hospice Attachment Expired 6/5/2023 Hospital Attachment Expired 6/5/2023…… Continue reading EXPIRED: Revised Guidance for Staff Vaccination Requirements

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the latest NH COVID-19 data for the week ending July 9, 2023. For a listing of vaccination rates for individual nursing homes, click here. The information comes up in an Excel spreadsheet entitled: Recent Facility Resident and Staff Vaccination Rates and Other Data,…… Continue reading Latest CMS, CDC and NHSN COVID-19 Nursing Home Data