CMS updated their guidance related to emergency preparedness for exercise exemptions based on a facility’s activation of their Emergency Plan. The guidance applies to the below qualified facilities: CMS recognizes many facilities are still operating under disaster/emergency conditions during the PHE, i.e., under an activated emergency plan. We are therefore providing additional guidance for inpatient providers/suppliers, consistent with the exemption …
On June 21, 2021, the Michigan Departments of Health & Human Services issued a letter to providers about premium pay for adult foster care and homes for the aged. The letter is specific to premium payment made to direct care workers employed by State of Michigan licensed adult foster care (AFC) or homes for the aged (HFA) residential settings. If …
Many vaccine-related adverse events are associated with otolaryngologic manifestations… The incidence of sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) was examined after influenza vaccination in a large-scale study that demonstrated no association between vaccination and the rate of SSNHL. The CDC VAERS is a national repository of incident reports associated with adverse reactions that occur after any vaccination. This database was queried …
The following was published by the CDC Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) from June 4, 2021: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a condition in which kidney function has permanently declined such that renal replacement therapy is required to sustain life. The mortality rate for patients with ESRD in the United States has been declining since 2001, however, during the …
A CMS Press Release on May 11, 2021 explained the new rule issued by CMS that is aimed at “expanding efforts to grow COVID-19 vaccine confidence and uptake amongst the nations most vulnerable”. As part of the ongoing response to address the COVID-19 pandemic, and to improve health care access and reduce the risk of severe illness and death from …
“Can observational clinical data from commercial laboratories be used to evaluate the comparative risk of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection for individuals who are antibody positive vs those who are antibody negative? [The purpose of a study published in JAMA] was to evaluate evidence of SARS-CoV-2 infection based on diagnostic nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT) among patients …
On June 18, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services awarded 59 jurisdictions with $200 million to bolster support and enhance the disease intervention specialists (DIS) workforce. These awards represent the initial funding of the $1.13 billion investment being made over the next five years, consistent with the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, and will …
The B.1.617.2 COVID-19 variant has contributed to the surge in cases in India and has now been detected across the globe, including a notable increase in cases in the UK. A preprint study published by medrxiv noted the following: Overall, we found high levels of vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic disease after two doses. These estimates were only modestly lower than …
One little-discussed, long-term toll of the pandemic: Large numbers of older adults have become physically and cognitively debilitated and less able to care for themselves during 15 months of sheltering in place. No large-scale studies have documented the extent of this phenomenon however, physicians, physical therapists, and health plan leaders said the prospect of increased impairment and frailty in the …
Key Updates for Week 20, ending May 22, 2021 Seasonal influenza activity in the United States remains lower than usual for this time of year. Viruses Clinical Labs – The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for influenza at clinical laboratories is 0.1% this week. Public Health Labs – The number of influenza positive specimens reported by public health labs …
