Skilled Nursing News

Dr. Buffy Lloyd-Krejci made it her life's work to improve infection control practices, founding the consulting firm IPCWell to further that mission in long-term care facilities. As a result, she sees nursing home practices first-hand, and she wasn't surprised by how hard COVID-19 hit these facilities when it started spreading last year. Dr. Lloyd-Krejci worked with Doctors Without Borders in their missions in nursing homes in Detroit and Houston, and continues to work with nursing homes on various infection control challenges. She joined Rethink to talk about that work, and why she's optimistic about improvement for infection prevention practices in nursing homes. Listen to this episode to learn: -How the current regulatory landscape for skilled nursing facilities hinders good infection control -Why frontline staff are becoming increasingly demoralized about the survey process -How hospital regulations around infection prevention provide lessons for nursing home oversight

In the skilled nursing world, it was a truth universally acknowledged that the Patient-Driven Payment Model was a lifeline for operators trying to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting “business nightmare.” But the federal government has proposed a recalibration of the new system, and it’s not clear yet what that could mean for providers. Mark Parkinson, the president and CEO of the American Health Care Association, joined Rethink to talk about why SNFs can be more optimistic than in years past about the proposed changes from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services – and why the Biden administration’s push to invest $400 in home- and community-based care isn’t as antagonistic to SNFs as it might first appear. Listen to this episode to hear about: -The unanswered questions around occupancy and what needs to happen for recovery -Why the proposed PDPM recalibration isn’t likely to be a repeat of drastic Medicare cuts in 2011 -Elevating and investing in frontline caregivers, and what it will take to do that properly

The federal government in March ended a year-long nightmare for families across the country when it announced the relaxation of visitation bans at nursing homes in all but a few limited cases. But for the family members who spent 2020 working to reunite with their loved ones, the work won’t end along with the expiration of strict lockdowns. SNN sat down with a pair of those leaders — Mikko Cook and Carrie Leljedal — to learn what they want to see from operators and policymakers in the future. Listen to this podcast to discover: 1. What families think operators did wrong — and right — during the coronavirus 2. How states could facilitate essential caregiving programs to prevent future lockdowns And more!

When the first vaccines against COVID-19 received emergency use authorization, long-term care residents and workers at those facilities were at the front of the line to receive them. And as the shots have rolled out, residents have participated at high rates, and new COVID-19 cases among residents have plummeted. Frontline workers have been more hesitant – but with time, that could change. Angela Perry, the administrator at Vernon Manor Nursing Home in Connecticut, joined Rethink to talk about the facility's ongoing efforts to boost staff uptake of the vaccines – and how her facility is thinking about the future of keeping COVID-19 out as the federal partnership to distribute vaccines comes to a close. Listen to this episode to learn about: -- The ongoing process of talking with staff members and listening to their concerns about the vaccine – and the importance of knowing which voices they trust -- The questions about immunization for new admissions to a facility and in terms of staff turnover -- One of the options for facilities to sign up for immunization, even after the federal Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program ends

Simply maintaining day-to-day operations at a nursing facility in 2020 was a herculean task, but several providers were able to also execute on the roll-out of an I-SNP, a special kind of Medicare Advantage plan for long-term care residents that proponents say provide both clinical and financial benefits to individual facilities. Hank Watson, chief development officer at American Health Plans, sat down with SNN to talk about the experience of launching new I-SNP ventures in 2020 and beyond, and why he — and his company's nursing home partners — still see promise in serving as both provider and payer. Listen to this episode to learn: 1. How COVID-19 changed the I-SNP calculus for providers 2. Why investing in clinical care is vital for I-SNP success 3. How operators can bridge the gap between value-based payments and fee-for-service 4. And more!

Tim Peck and Rob MacNaughton of Curve Health by Skilled Nursing News

Third-party rehabilitation providers are a crucial part of clinical care in the skilled nursing setting, and neither the pandemic this year nor an overhaul of Medicare reimbursement last year has changed that fact. But it has changed how rehab providers are working with their SNF partners. Tammy Tuminaro, the recently named CEO of Century Rehabilitation, joined Skilled Nursing News' Rethink podcast to talk about how third-party rehabilitation providers are navigating the pandemic and how Century sees the relationship between SNFs and third-party rehabilitation evolving. Listen to this episode to learn more about: -- The promises and pitfalls of telehealth for providing rehabilitation -- How SNFs and third-party rehab can collaborate more closely – and why they need to -- The importance of clinical pathways in getting residents to the best outcomes.

The institutional special needs plan model was one of the hottest topics of conversation in the skilled nursing world – of course, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. But for PruittHealth, its role as a Medicare Advantage provider gave it a unique position in its role as a skilled nursing provider, according to the operator's new corporate medical officer, Dr. Rayvelle Stallings. She believes that offering the I-SNP allows PruittHealth to ensure continuity of care in a way that helps navigate the new reality of the pandemic – while keeping residents and employees safe. Listen to this episode to learn: -Why the institutional needs plan model positions PruittHealth to provide the fullest continuity of care for its patients. -The promises and pitfalls of greater telehealth use, and why it's here to stay. -How infection control is shaping the new normal for PruittHealth's SNFs.

After a disheartening experience working in nursing homes, former director of nursing Susan Ryan spent years spearheading initiatives designed to keep the elderly out of institutional care settings at all costs. But over time, she came to believe that there would always be a need for skilled nursing facilities to serve a specific portion of the aging population — just not the kind that have existed for decades. As the senior director of the non-profit Green House Project, Ryan has traveled the country spreading the gospel of nursing campuses centered around small homes, with resident independence and autonomy at the heart of the care model. It's an initiative that could gain steam as regulators, operators, and investors look to a post-COVID future. Listen to this podcast to learn: -- How operators can work with regulators to implement unique, resident-centered designs -- Why Green House can give operators a competitive advantage in their marketplaces -- And more!

As nursing homes navigate COVID-19, the actions they take now could present legal minefields in the months and years to come. Those could stem from lawsuits brought by individuals – or by investigations from the state or federal government. Jon Ferry, a partner at the law firm Bradley Arant Boult Cummings and a former assistant U.S. attorney, joins Rethink to talk about some of the considerations for skilled nursing providers. Listen to this episode to learn: -The nuances of liability regulations in different states, especially those established for health care settings during COVID-19 -The ways the pandemic-induced changes might shape legal definitions and future lawsuits -What the Department of Justice’s National Nursing Home Initiative – announced just before COVID-19 hit in full force – will be investigating with the backdrop of the pandemic -And more!

Until scientists develop a vaccine or effective treatment for COVID-19, infection control — already so vital to resident safety — must be at the top of every nursing home operator's list of priorities. For Karen Hoffman, that topic has been the subject of her career over the course of four decades. As a former CMS consultant, current clinical instructor at the University of North Carolina, and 2019 president of APIC, Hoffman has dedicated her professional life to improving infection control and preventing the spread of disease in nursing homes and other settings. She joined "Rethink" to discuss why COVID-19 can be so difficult to contain, how operators should reframe their mindsets to fight it as a chronic menace, and what CMS should do when evaluating its enforcement strategies. Listen to this episode to learn: -- Simple investments with major preventative payoffs -- Ways CMS can improve and enhance enforcement efforts moving forward -- Key areas for operators to focus on -- And more!

As COVID-19 initially swept through nursing homes across the country in March and April, operators and staffers had a key advantage: Just about every state implemented stay-at-home orders that kept public spaces clear for the essential health care workers, reducing the risk of infection. But as spring turns to summer, states around the country have implemented varying degrees of “reopening” plans, setting off increases in case counts — and underscoring the reality that the coronavirus will plague long-term care for an indefinite period of time. Dr. Paula Lester, a an associate professor of medicine at the NYU Long Island School of Medicine and a geriatrician at NYU Winthrop Hospital, joins "Rethink" to discuss the top lessons learned from the peak of COVID-19 cases in New York, one of the nation's worst geographic hotspots. Listen to this episode to learn: -- Why operators can't assume they're in the clear, even after performing baseline tests -- Top considerations for reopening safely -- What providers should seek from reform efforts -- And more!

LeadingAge CEO Katie Smith Sloan has been outspoken in her calls for increased government support for nursing homes and other senior care providers amid the COVID-19 crisis. As the case count continues to rise and operators face down a new normal with coronavirus at the center of every decision they make, Sloan has loudly and forcefully argued that the industry needs more funding and assistance. Sloan joined SNN's "Rethink" podcast to discuss the feasibility of a federal plan to reopen nursing homes to visitors, as well as the top changes she thinks providers should fight for as lawmakers and advocates start to consider new rules and regulations around nursing homes in a post-COVID world. Listen to this episode to learn: -- Why reopening nursing homes is "virtually impossible" right now -- Why Medicaid-focused relief has been so slow to arrive -- What steps leaders and lawmakers should take to prevent future crises -- And much more

Randy Oostra, the president and CEO of ProMedica Health System, is well situated to see every angle of the unfolding COVID-19 pandemic in both the acute and pos-acute fields. The Toledo, Ohio-based ProMedica acquired the operations of HCR ManorCare in 2018 – which puts ProMedica in a unique position during a pandemic that is attacking every part of the health care continuum and hitting skilled nursing facilities particularly hard. Listen to this episode to learn: -Why more hospital beds are not the solution to the current strain on the health care system -Some of the ways the COVID-19 pandemic could change health care for the better -How ProMedica has worked to give the SNFs the clinical resources they need

The Royal Health Group in Massachusetts had long-standing plans to change the location of its skilled nursing facility in the town of Falmuth; what they weren't expecting was that a global pandemic would hit as they planned the transition. Instead of freezing in place, the operator accelerated the move to give the Cape Cod Healthcare system a location for recovering COVID-19 patients. Royal Health CEO James Mamary and vice president of operations Robyn Sloniecki joined Rethink to talk about how they made the change and worked with the state and the health system – and about what other operators can learn from their experience. This episode was recorded on April 17th and reflects the COVID-19 situation at the time. Listen to this episode to learn: -How Royal Health kept its staff and residents updated during the move -How it worked with Massachusetts on fast-tracking its former facility to become a COVID-19 building. -What operators should think about as they find COVID-19 cases in their own SNFs