WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 22, 2022)—The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) sent a letter to U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra to request an extension of the public health emergency (PHE) declaration, which is set to expire in a few weeks, so that long-term and post-acute care providers can continue to offer the most efficient and effective care possible to the nation’s most vulnerable population.
COVID-19
The COVID-19 pandemic kept members of the home infusion industry from meeting in person for two years, but also highlighted the field’s strengths and brought public awareness of home infusion’s potential in the health care continuum, Connie Sullivan, president and CEO of the National Home Infusion Association (NHIA), told members and other attendees recently at the organization’s annual conference.
AN DIEGO (March 15, 2022)—ResMed announced the results of its 2022 Global Sleep Surveys, in conjunction with National Sleep Awareness Week (March 13-19) and World Sleep Day (March 18). The surveys, conducted in the first quarter of the year, asked nearly 25,000 respondents in 12 countries what’s keeping them up at night and the results aim to build awareness of the critical role good sleep plays in physical and mental health.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 11, 2022)—The Advanced Care at Home Coalition applauds introduction of the Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act, which would extend the Acute Care at Home waivers that have allowed for the expanded delivery of hospital-level care at home for Medicare beneficiaries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 8, 2022—The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced the availability of $3.2 million in funds from the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 for Susan Harwood Workplace Safety and Health Training on Infectious Diseases, Including COVID-19 grants.
Get your team ready for a possible feeding frenzy
WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 3, 2022)—As part of the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to expand Americans’ access to free testing, people in either Original Medicare or Medicare Advantage will be able to get over-the-counter COVID-19 tests at no cost starting in early spring. Under the new initiative, Medicare beneficiaries will be able to access up to eight over-the-counter COVID-19 tests per month for free.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (January 25, 2022)—As the omicron death rate escalates and weakens the nation’s capacity to provide care for millions of endangered older Americans, the national organization representing America’s nonprofit providers of aging services, including nursing homes, called on the president to work with Congress on a six-point package of emergency relief.
[UPDATED at 4 p.m. ET]
What group is especially vulnerable to the ravages of covid-19 even if fully vaccinated and boosted? Seniors. And who will have an especially tough time getting free at-home covid tests under the Biden administration’s plan? Yes, seniors.
Our annual state of the industry report
WASHINTON, D.C. (December 21, 2021)—A federal appeals court has reinstated the Biden administration’s coronavirus vaccination or testing policy for large private businesses, reversing an earlier court ruling that had halted the mandate.
NEW ORLEANS, La. (December 15, 2021)—The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has revived the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care facilities, including home health agencies, in 26 states.
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Updated Dec. 1, 2021, at 3:22 p.m. to include statement from NAHC.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (November 30, 2021)—A judge has blocked enforcement of the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for health care workers in 10 rural states pending a trial over whether the federal government exceeded its authority in issuing the nationwide requirement.
SANTA MONICA, Calif. (November 16, 2021)—GoodRx, Inc., America’s digital resource for health care, released a new report on the State of Telehealth, examining the role the COVID-19 pandemic has played in reshaping virtual care and patient-provider interactions.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (November 4, 2021)—The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services issued an emergency regulation Thursday requiring about 17 million people working for some 76,000 health care providers—including those in home health, hospice and home infusion—to be at least partially vaccinated against COVID-19 by December 5, 2021.
CONNECT for Health Act of 2021, S. 1512