Pandemic Waivers Of Nursing Home Regulations Ending

Modern Healthcare: CMS To End Some Nursing Home COVID-19 Emergency Waivers
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will phase out pandemic-related temporary waivers to nursing home regulations, the agency announced Thursday. The changes are being made because COVID-19 vaccination rates for residents and employees are increasing and nursing homes are better able to handle outbreaks, the agency said in a news release. "We've learned a lot from the pandemic over the last two years and are committed to using that knowledge to re-envision the next chapter of healthcare quality and patient safety and build a stronger healthcare system," CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said in the news release. (Christ, 4/7)

And more about nursing homes and nursing shortages —

Bloomberg: U.S. Hospitals Struggle To Keep Nurses Even With Billions In Aid
States from Arizona to Maine are deploying billions of dollars in federal aid to hospitals in a desperate attempt to retain and recruit overworked health-care professionals facing the threat of yet another spike in Covid-19 cases. Pennsylvania hospitals are getting $210 million for bonuses or wage increases for front-line health-care workers. Texas approved $378 million to address “critical staffing needs” at nursing homes and home health agencies. Tennessee health-care facilities are receiving $120 million. (Braun and Coleman-Lochner, 4/7)

AP: Beshear Signs Bill Aimed At Addressing Nursing Shortage 
Gov. Andy Beshear on Thursday signed a bill aimed at addressing Kentucky’s nursing shortage by boosting enrollment in nursing schools and luring out-of-state nurses into the state’s workforce. The measure comes a few months after the governor late last year declared the state’s nursing shortage to be an emergency. Kentucky has faced a shortage of nurses for years but the problem worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. (4/7)

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Lawmakers Approve Sweeping Changes To Nursing Home Funding 
Illinois lawmakers Thursday unanimously approved a landmark funding increase for nursing homes that one sponsor called the most important improvement ever made to long-term care facilities in the state. Responding to long-standing problems that were made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, the bill would increase payments to nursing homes and tie much of the increase to staffing levels and quality of care. “This is the biggest reform we’ve done ever,” said sponsoring Sen. Ann Gillespie, a Democrat from Arlington Heights. “This is going to drive accountability.” (McCoppin, 4/7)

KHN: New Laws Let Visitors See Loved Ones In Health Care Facilities, Even In An Outbreak
Jean White’s mother has dementia and moved into a memory care facility near Tampa, Florida, just as coronavirus lockdowns began in spring 2020. For months, the family wasn’t allowed to go inside to visit. They tried video chats and visits from outside her bedroom window, but White said that just upset her mom, who is 87. White’s mother couldn’t grasp why she could hear familiar voices but not be with her loved ones in person. (Colombini, 4/8)

In other health care industry news —

AP: Plan To Move Maine's Only Medical School Gets Federal Boost
The federal government is providing Maine’s only medical school with $5 million to help it move. University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine is located in Biddeford, but the university wants to move the school to Portland. The university, which is the largest private school in Maine, said the move would allow it to admit more medical students and consolidate its health professions programs on one campus. (4/7)

Georgia Health News: Wellstar Closing ER, Hospital Beds At Struggling East Point Site, Still Seeks Partner 
Wellstar Health System in recent years has been exploring options – including a sale or partnership — for its Atlanta Medical Center and an affiliate hospital in East Point. A different option unfolded Wednesday: Wellstar announced that it’s converting the 200-bed East Point hospital into a primary care, outpatient and rehabilitation center. The ER and hospital beds will close May 6. The AMC South facility now runs the closest emergency department to Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport. (Miller, 4/7)

The Boston Globe: BC High Lands $49 Million Donation To Build Wellness Center
Patrick Cadigan’s career took off after he left Massachusetts for California, just a few years out of college, to oversee sales and marketing at an electronics company known as EECO. He became its chief executive, and later amassed a fortune as a real estate investor in Orange County. But Cadigan never forgot his roots in the Boston area. The latest example: Cadigan’s family foundation has agreed to give $49 million to Boston College High School on Morrissey Boulevard in Dorchester to build a 50,000-square-foot fitness center to be dubbed the Cadigan Wellness Complex. Cadigan died in 2020 at the age of 85, but he ensured that BC High, where he graduated in 1952, was among the schools eligible for donations from his foundation. He has also been a major donor to Boston College, where he received his bachelor’s degree. (Chesto, 4/7)

AP: Motion To Disqualify Judge Filed In Doctor's Murder Trial
The weekslong trial of an Ohio doctor charged in multiple hospital deaths hit a bump in the road this week after a motion was filed seeking to disqualify the judge overseeing the case. Dr. William Husel is accused of ordering excessive painkillers for 14 patients in the Columbus-area Mount Carmel Health System. He was indicted in cases involving at least 500 micrograms of the powerful painkiller fentanyl. (Welsh-Huggins, 4/7)

In obituaries —

Modern Healthcare: Longtime Centene CEO Michael Neidorff Dies
Longtime Centene Corp. Chairman and CEO Michael Neidorff died on Thursday after suffering a lengthy illness, the company confirmed. Neidorff, 79, served as the head of the insurer for 26 years, growing the company from a $40 million, single health plan into the $125 billion healthcare company that manages care for 25 million people today. Neidorff planned to retire at the end of this year, but took a medical leave of absence six weeks ago. (Tepper, 4/7)