The change, one among dozens that affect older adults, restores rules from before the pandemic. The basic pre-Covid rule said that traditional Medicare would pay for a SNF stay only if a patient was first admitted to a hospital for at least three consecutive days. Others would have to pay out of their own pocket. Medicare waived that rule during the pandemic but now it is back.
Advocates call on lawmakers to increase funding and prevent mass closures. The COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE) will end tomorrow, May 11, leaving Oklahoma nursing homes and facilities that care for the intellectually disabled facing a steep funding cliff unless lawmakers are able to provide additional financial aid. The ongoing PHE allows nursing homes to tap federal supplemental funds of approximately $36 a day per Medicaid resident, helping facilities deal with the skyrocketing costs of equipment and labor during the pandemic.
The job of a nurse can sometimes be filled with stress, anxiety and even frustration. Amber Sanvick, the director of Healthcare at the Cedars of Austin, may feel those emotions at times, but she embraces her career, which began when she started as a Registered Nurse in a long term care facility in 2008. Sanvick has been at the Cedars since 2014 and she has gotten to know many of the residents on a personal level.
Ohio is nearing a Medicaid crisis because of a nursing shortage. That includes United Hearts Health Care, which provides home health care to about 500 Medicaid patients throughout southwest Ohio and Dayton. Vice President of Clinical and Administrative Services, Jennifer Sparks said the company is losing money, paying 1,500 hours of overtime in a recent two-week period because there's not enough workers.
The Pennant Group, Inc. announced that it has acquired the assets of Benefit Home Healthcare and Benefit By Your Side. The entities provide skilled home health, private duty, and community health services in Colorado Springs, Colorado. “We are pleased to expand our home health operations deeper into the state of Colorado,” said Brent Guerisoli, Chief Executive Officer of Pennant. “Benefit will be a great partner to our affiliates in the area as we further expand the continuum of care and provide life-changing service to the residents of Colorado Springs and its surrounding communities,” Guerisoli added.
The companies failed to file reports on how they spent aid they recieved under the federal CARES Act. The largest payment in question — $1.23 million — went to Friends Senior Care Center Inc., an adult day care center at 905 Arch St. in Philadelphia, according to the human services department. The company did not respond to requests for comment.