Surveys Yikes

Angie SzumlinskiCompliance

In case you haven’t heard, regulatory surveys are back with a vengeance! Federal data indicates that the number of surveys conducted nationwide has risen 132% since 2020, leaving some wondering how fairly standards are being applied when COVID-19 is already forcing facilities to deal with staffing shortages, aging infrastructure, profit loss and increased scrutiny over everything from infection protocols to …

Will Pandemic End in July?

Angie SzumlinskiFeatured, Health

Reported in a Medical Press article, a team of infectious disease modelers at Northeastern University has been answering the question “when will the pandemic be over” since January. The group has been developing a set of predictive models to project the future of the outbreak in various scenarios for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as part of …

Corona Virus - Microbiology And Virology Concept - 3d Rendering

Say it Isn’t So!

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

In a study published in the Lancet Respiratory Medicine on April 15th, more than 3,000 young, healthy members of the U.S. Marines found that “reinfection by SARS-CoV-2 in healthy young adults is common,” said Stuart Sealfon, MD the Sra B. and Seth M. Glickenhaus Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Despite a prior COVID-19 …

Expected Practice

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

To optimize patient outcomes and preserve critical acute care access during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services developed the SAFE@HOMEO2 Expected Practice (expected Practice), enabling ambulatory oxygen management for COVID-19. [The objective of the study was] to assess outcomes of patients with COVID-19 pneumonia discharged via the expected practice approach to home or quarantine housing …

Booster Shots

Angie SzumlinskiNews

Executives at Pfizer and BioNTech previously said people will likely need a booster shot or third dose, within 12 months of getting fully vaccinated. They also said it is likely people will need to get additional shots every year. Last month, Andy Slavitt, senior advisor to President Joe Biden’s COVID response team, said the White House is preparing for the …

Antigen Versus PCR

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

As we are all aware, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit our communities hard. Despite guidelines on co-horting and testing, and our efforts to protect our residents, nursing homes experienced large outbreaks. In a recent study published in JAMA Network Open, a discussion on whether pre-symptomatic and asymptomatic transmission could be the reason. Long-term separation after recovery kept the non-COVID-19 residents …

FDA Grants Accelerated Approval for Alzheimer’s Drug

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, News

On June 7, 2021 the FDA approved a new treatment for Alzheimer’s – Aduhelm (aducanumab). The approval was granted through the “accelerated approval pathway, which can be used for a drug for a serious or life-threatening illness that provides a meaningful therapeutic advantage over existing treatments”. The director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., …

Vaccination and Infection

Angie SzumlinskiStudies

In a study published in JAMA Network, “regularly screened health care workers who had received 2 doses of the BNT162b2 messenger RNA vaccine were associated with significantly lower incidence rates for both symptomatic and asymptomatic infection. The association between vaccination status and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection is similar to the 95% efficacy reported in the phase 3 randomized clinical trial. Asymptomatic …

Congratulations to HealthCap® Members who were awarded the 2021 AHCA Bronze Commitment to Quality Award!

Angie SzumlinskiAnnouncements, Featured

We are proud to recognize the 2021 Bronze Award recipients who are HealthCap® members. The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) bestowed this honor on 263 skilled nursing care centers and assisted living communities. We applaud the 8 HealthCap® members who achieved this distinction! Applicants for the Bronze Award level used the Baldrige Excellence Framework …

Insulin Storage

Angie SzumlinskiHealth, Studies

Instructions on insulin vials or pens indicate that they should be stored, unopened, at temperatures of 35.6° F-46.4°F. Once the vial or pen is opened/punctured the insulin can be stored at room temperature 77°F-86°F for up to 28 days. As we hear more and more about social inequities, researchers took it upon themselves to determine how safe insulin would be …