OSHA Extends Comment Period for COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS

Posted in COVID-19, Senior Living

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has extended the comment period for the COVID-19 vaccination and testing emergency temporary standard to Jan. 19, 2022. OSHA extended the comment period by 45 days to allow stakeholders additional time to review the ETS and…… Continue reading OSHA Extends Comment Period for COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS

Latest CMS, CDC and NHSN NH COVID-19 Data Available

Posted in COVID-19, Senior Living1 Comment

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted COVID-19 nursing home data for the week ending November 21, 2021. This latest data set shows these changes from the November 14th data set: Resident vaccination rate increased 0.3% from the previous weekStaff vaccination increased 0.8% from the previous week (same as week prior)Resident…… Continue reading Latest CMS, CDC and NHSN NH COVID-19 Data Available

ICD-10: New Diagnosis & Procedure Codes Effective April 1, 2022

Posted in RESOURCES

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare In response to the ongoing COVID-19 national emergency, 3 new diagnosis codes and 7 new procedure codes describing introducing or infusing therapeutics, including vaccines for COVID-19 treatment, will be effective April 1, 2022. A new Medicare Code Editor (MCE) code edit and revised coverage edits will also…… Continue reading ICD-10: New Diagnosis & Procedure Codes Effective April 1, 2022

National Influenza Vaccination Week: December 5 – 11, 2021

Posted in RESOURCES

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare December 5 – 11, 2021 is National Influenza Vaccination Week. Have you gotten this year’s flu shot? Did you know that people with certain chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, and heart disease are at higher risk of developing serious flu complications? A flu shot is the…… Continue reading National Influenza Vaccination Week: December 5 – 11, 2021

Register for the December Hospice Quality Reporting Program Forum

Posted in Hospice, INDUSTRY NEWS

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On Thursday, December 16th, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will host a webinar to share updates for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program. During this webinar, CMS subject matter experts will provide information on the following topics: The Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers &…… Continue reading Register for the December Hospice Quality Reporting Program Forum

Vaccination Regulation: Enforcement of Rule Imposing Vaccine Requirement for Health Care Staff in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified Providers and Suppliers is Suspended so Long as Court Ordered Injunctions Remain in Effect

Posted in INDUSTRY NEWS, Long-Term Care1 Comment

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS posted QSO-22-04-ALL the afternoon of December 2, 2021. Here’s an excerpt from that QSO Memorandum (bolding and italics added by me): “On November 29 and November 30, 2021, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri and United States District Court for…… Continue reading Vaccination Regulation: Enforcement of Rule Imposing Vaccine Requirement for Health Care Staff in Medicare- and Medicaid-certified Providers and Suppliers is Suspended so Long as Court Ordered Injunctions Remain in Effect

Multiple Injunctions Block CMS Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Regulation

Posted in INDUSTRY NEWS, Long-Term Care

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Confused? Concerned? Don’t know what to make of the news? Don’t know what to do about compliance with recent injunctions involving vaccination of staff? You’re in good company – our heads are all spinning. Here’s the skinny on what’s happening – at this point in time.…… Continue reading Multiple Injunctions Block CMS Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination Regulation

5-Star Preview Reports Available

Posted in INDUSTRY NEWS, Long-Term Care

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Five Star Preview Reports will be available on November 30, 2021. To access these reports, select the CASPER Reporting link located on the CMS QIES Systems for Providers page. Once in the CASPER Reporting system, select the ‘Folders’ button, then select ‘My Inbox’ or the…… Continue reading 5-Star Preview Reports Available