During this critical time, Home Health Care News remains committed to bringing you all the essential news related to home-based care operations. At the same time, we also recognize the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to our regular content, we’ll continue to highlight industry-related developments and mitigation strategies in this rolling bulletin.

What you need to know from Monday (May 18)

— Medicaid providers have been put on the back burner when it comes to funding, according to a report from Kaiser Health News. In March, $100 billion was shelled out to health care providers, and the majority of that money has gone to Medicare beneficiaries, leaving the low-income Medicaid patients — and the providers that serve them — behind. “This needs to be addressed urgently,” Joan Alker, executive director of Georgetown University’s Center for Children and Families in Washington, D.C., told Kaiser Health. “We are concerned about the infrastructure and how quickly it could evaporate.”

— A home health aide in New Jersey ignored a self-quarantine order after being tested for COVID-19. The aide then went to work without PPE, allegedly resulting in at least five additional COVID-19 cases and one death, according to a report from the Daily Voice.

— Three authors from the University of Toronto and Harvard laid out recommendations for fixing issues facing home-based care during and after the COVID-19 crisis in The Conversation. The recommendations included CMS expanding the definition of “home health” to include personal care, expanding the definition of “homebound,” and revitalizing the training and recruitment practices for new home-based care workers during COVID-19.

— An inspection found that nursing homes operated by Life Care Centers of America violated federal standards relating to infection control, according to the Washington Post. The report suggested that staff members were not adequately washing their hands or adhering to social distancing guidelines. “These deficient practices resulted in the high likelihood of spreading coronavirus and harmful pathogens,” the inspector wrote.

— CMS released new guidelines on reopening nursing homes on Monday, with parameters around testing requirements and visitation, reports Skilled Nursing News. CMS also emphasized that nursing facilities will be among the last institutions that can safely reopen as the country takes steps toward moving out of COVID-19 lockdowns.

For daily updates from the week of May 11, click here.

For daily updates from the week of May 4, click here.

For daily updates from the week of April 27, click here.

For daily updates from the week of April 20, click here.

For daily updates from the week of April 13, click here.

For daily updates from the week of April 6, click here.

For daily updates from the week of March 30, click here.

For daily updates from the week of March 23, click here.

For daily updates from the week of March 16, click here.

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