Feds award $103M in ARP funds to reduce healthcare worker burnout, shortages
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jan 25, 2022
The Biden administration is awarding $103 million in American Rescue Plan funds to 45 grantees to help reduce healthcare worker burnout and staffing shortages, the Department of Health and Human Services...
Competition drives Medicare Advantage plans to expand nonmonetary benefits, which can save LTC providers...
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Jan 21, 2022
The number of Medicare Advantage insurers has doubled over the past year, leading to expanded coverage beyond medical needs, according to a report released Wednesday from ATI Advisory. The nonmonetary...
Long COVID-19 may be classified as disability in some cases under ADA, EEOC says
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Dec 16, 2021
Some people with long COVID-19 may qualify for disability resources under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission said in updated guidance this week. Long COVID-19...
No sign Supreme Court will block COVID-19 vaccination mandates, legal expert say
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Dec 15, 2021
The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday in a 6-3 ruling to hear a challenge to New York’s vaccine mandate for healthcare workers on religious grounds, and a legal expert says evidence is mounting that...
‘Pervasive’ staffing shortage poses dilemmas for skilled nursing sector
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Oct 25, 2021
Staffing shortages have become “pervasive” nationwide since the pandemic began, and the acute shortage of nursing staff and aides in skilled nursing facilities likely has not hit rock bottom yet, National...
Nearly half of nurses may leave the nursing profession in the next two years: survey
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Oct 20, 2021
Fully 49% of nurses surveyed are likely to exit the profession over the next two years, according to ShiftMed’s annual State of Nursing Report.
Demand for senior living and care increasing in third quarter: study
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Oct 01, 2021
Demand for senior living and care is ticking upward, Moody’s economist Lu Chen wrote in a recent report. The combined national vacancy rate across long-term care property types, she said, trended downward...
Lender gives reasons to be ‘bullish’ on senior housing and care
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Sep 30, 2021
The senior living sector no doubt has seen pandemic-related challenges, but “the fundamentals of the business are sound,” according to Matthew Ruark, senior vice president of commercial and healthcare...
Not-for-profit life plan communities sector remain ‘resilient’ during pandemic: report
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Sep 16, 2021
Life plan communities held their ground throughout the pandemic by using various forms of emergency funds to offset increased expenses and pressured cash flows during the public emergency, according to...
Long-term care sector must reinvest, rebuild workforce to meet ‘long tail’ COVID challenges: report
By
Kathleen Steele Gaivin
Sep 10, 2021
Long-term care providers — in senior living, skilled nursing, home care and adult day services — must invest in their workforces if they are to survive the difficult circumstances facing the sector...