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Specialized Information for:
Long-Term Care ConsumersFamily MembersAdvocatesCOVID-19
May 17, 2022
A new fact sheet, “Difficult” is Not a Diagnosis: What to Do When Your Loved One is Being Pushed to Take Antipsychotic Drugs, is now available for advocates and family members.
May 12, 2022
In this episode, we continue our conversation with long-term care residents about the most significant nursing home reforms announced in decades. We speak with two residents to discuss the problems they face in their day-to-day lives from inadequate staffing, the ways nursing home ownership has impacted their lives throughout the pandemic, as well as what can be done to improve their lives in long-term care.
April 28, 2022
The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published a Notice of Proposed Rule Making that included requests for information regarding the implementation of a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes and input on measuring health disparities in resident outcomes.
April 27, 2022
Consumer Voice needs your support more than ever to ensure that recently announced nursing home reforms become reality for nursing home residents across the country.
April 26, 2022
The Superior Court of California issued a declaratory judgment that under federal law, a nursing facility cannot refuse to readmit a resident who has been cleared by the hospital to return to their facility.
April 14, 2022
On April 7, 2022 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memo rescinding several temporary emergency waivers issued in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency with the intent to provide health care providers with extra flexibility in responding to the pandemic.
April 13, 2022
Consumer Voice’s new report looks at federal data regarding nursing home staffing levels and how it affects outcomes for residents.
April 12, 2022
The National Imperative to Improve Nursing Home Quality: Honoring Our Commitment to Residents, Families, and Staff, a report released by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), includes recommendations that strongly support the Biden Administration’s historic nursing home reforms.
April 05, 2022
In this episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast, we take a deeper look at the Biden Administration’s nursing home reforms, announced on February 28, 2022. These reforms include the most significant improvements to nursing homes in decades.
March 28, 2022
We need you to contact your Congress members and tell them to take action to support the Biden Administration reforms and also to ensure the important nursing home provisions in the BBB Act are included in any upcoming economic legislation.
March 25, 2022
In this episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast, we speak directly with two long-term care residents, in Texas and Ohio, about the importance of these reforms, the problems they face in their day to day lives from inadequate and untrained staff, and what other improvements they would like to see that would help improve their lives in long-term care.
March 22, 2022
Consumer Voice’s new report, Using the Five-Star Quality Measure to Mask Bad Care, looks at how Quality Measures on CMS’ Care Compare, which are largely self-reported by nursing homes, can obscure poor ratings in the other categories of staffing and health inspections.
March 16, 2022
Read our summary of the wide-ranging reforms aimed at improving the quality of nursing home care for residents recently announced by the Biden-Harris Administration.
March 15, 2022
On March, 10, 2022, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) updated its nursing home guidance on visitation and quarantine and also updated its guidance on testing.
March 14, 2022
Letters are still one of the most widely read sections of the local news, and a great way to get your voice heard by members of your community and elected leaders on key issues.
March 08, 2022
Join us in thanking President Biden for standing with nursing home residents and introducing these monumental nursing home reforms.
March 01, 2022
Consumer Voice’s new report, Inadequate Staffing During the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Catastrophic Effects on Nursing Homes Residents, looks at federal data regarding nursing home residents and documents the true price of inadequate staffing.
February 28, 2022
The Biden Administration announced it would be implementing a variety of nursing home reforms, including the creation of a minimum staffing standard in nursing homes, accountability for poor performing nursing homes, increased transparency around ownership and finances, and support for direct care staff.
February 18, 2022
Consumer Voice is calling on states and the federal government to act now to better protect residents of nursing homes by requiring minimum staffing requirements and accountability for the spending of public money.
February 15, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is now posting data on COVID-19 vaccine booster shots administered to nursing home residents and staff on the Medicare.gov Care Compare website.
February 11, 2022
In this episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast, we talk about neglect, which is the failure to provide goods and services to an individual that are necessary to avoid physical harm, pain, mental anguish, or emotional distress, with Dr. Laura Mosqueda, a professor of Family Medicine and Geriatrics at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. Neglect may or may not be intentional.
February 07, 2022
Consumer Voice Executive Director Lori Smetanka wrote an article for American Society on Aging’s Generations on the staffing crisis in long-term care facilities and how it affects residents.
February 03, 2022
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have made updates to their COVID-19 guidance regarding nursing home visitation, definitions of vaccination status, and more.
January 27, 2022
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the latest list of Special Focus Facilities (SFF) and candidates. CMS oversees the SFF program, which places special scrutiny on select nursing homes with a documented pattern of providing poor care.
January 27, 2022
Beginning January 26, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is posting new information on the Care Compare website that will help consumers have a better understanding of certain staffing information and concerns at facilities.
January 25, 2022
The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released a report, CMS Should Take Further Action to Address States with Poor Performance in Conducting Nursing Home Surveys, detailing problems with the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ oversight of state survey agencies.
January 19, 2022
Over the past several years, private equity firm ownership of nursing homes has drawn significant attention. Visit our new webpage to learn more about private equity and how it affects nursing home residents.
January 14, 2022
Read our update regarding how federal and state rules affect visiting nursing homes.
January 07, 2022
On January 6, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) updated the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) released on December 23rd, 2021, which clarify their updated Nursing Home Visitation Guidance from November.
January 04, 2022
Share your experiences visiting a loved one in a nursing home since the new CMS visitation guidance on November 12, 2021.
January 04, 2022
Consumer Voice, with other advocates, sent a letter to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure regarding removing restrictions on visitation in nursing homes.
January 03, 2022
On December 28, 2021 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance and survey procedures to ensure compliance with nursing home staff vaccination requirements.
December 10, 2021
In this episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast, Jocelyn Bogdan from Consumer Voice goes through the updated guidance and talks about what rights residents of nursing homes have.
December 08, 2021
Consumer Voice and 79 national and state advocacy organizations sent a letter urging Senate leadership to include important provisions for increased protections for nursing home residents in the Build Back Better Act.
December 07, 2021
A new report by Consumer Voice documents staffing standards in each state, analyzing the contrast to research-based standards recommended by medical and healthcare professionals to ensure quality of care.
November 23, 2021
Together, we can pursue and promote policies that support residents, caregivers, and staff; improve transparency and accountability for public funds; and upend the long-term care system to be more consumer centered.
November 19, 2021
The United States House of Representatives passed the Build Back Better Act which includes the most significant increase in protections for nursing home residents in decades.
November 18, 2021
Read our summary of the main takeaways in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Service’s recently updated Nursing Home Visitation Guidance.
November 17, 2021
Congress needs to hear directly from residents, families and their advocates that the staffing provisions must be included because adequate staffing is the key to safety and quality of care.
November 16, 2021
The guidance relaxes requirements regarding infection control surveys, clarifies timing on annual recertification surveys, addresses the complaint backlog, and announces increased survey scrutiny in particular areas of care quality.
November 16, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has released the latest list of Special Focus Facilities (SFF) and candidates (October 27, 2021). CMS oversees the SFF program, which places special scrutiny on select nursing homes with a documented pattern of providing poor care.
November 15, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services have updated their nursing home visitation guidance to now allow visitation at all times for all residents.
November 09, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an emergency regulation requiring long term care facilities to develop and implement policies to ensure all staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
November 05, 2021
A provision to require at least one registered nurse 24 hours a day has been added to the four critical provisions included in the most recent version of the Build Back Better Act. Contact your members of Congress to ensure all provisions will be included.
October 29, 2021
Congress has heard your voice! Important nursing home provisions were included in the most recent version of the Build Back Better Act. However, the inclusion of the provisions in the final bill is not ensured.
October 29, 2021
Consumer Voice sent a letter asking Congressional leaders to ensure that protections for nursing home residents continue to be included in the Build Back Better reconciliation bill.
October 21, 2021
Contact Your Congressmembers and Tell Them to Support Protections for Nursing Home Residents
October 19, 2021
In this episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast, we are sharing with you a discussion that was held on Facebook Live around residents’ rights in nursing homes.
October 19, 2021
Consumer Voice Executive Director Lori Smetanka wrote an article for American Society on Aging’s Generations publication highlighting the spike in misuse of antipsychotic drugs in nursing homes.
October 18, 2021
The October 2021 issue of the Resident Advocate Newsletter is now available.
October 13, 2021
Consumer Voice and 68 national and state organizations sent a letter to House leadership urging them to retain critical protections for nursing home residents in the Budget Reconciliation bill.
October 12, 2021
NORC and Consumer Voice published new consumer education materials regarding nursing home residents’ rights.
September 21, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today a new feature on Medicare Care Compare that will make it easier to check COVID-19 vaccination rates for nursing home staff and residents.
September 09, 2021
Reach out to your Representatives to tell them to support nursing home provisions and Elder Justice Act provisions in the current budget and reconciliation package.
September 01, 2021
Consumer Voice submitted comments to the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) in support of the proposed regulations mandating a minimum staffing standard of 4.1 hours of resident care per day.
August 31, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has released the latest list of Special Focus Facilities, which places special scrutiny on select nursing homes with a documented pattern of providing poor care.
August 26, 2021
A new episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast is now available. In this episode we will hear Mary Daniel’s story about how she advocated to be reunited with her husband, the national movement she founded, and talk about what we all can do to make a difference today.
August 20, 2021
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care commends the Biden Administration for its recent announcement that all nursing home staff must be fully vaccinated.
August 19, 2021
Watch the video walkthrough of the CMS website to find vaccination data for nursing homes.
August 12, 2021
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services publishes COVID-19 nursing home data on their site Data.CMS.gov.
August 11, 2021
The Nursing Home Improvement and Accountability Act of 2021 was introduced in the Senate. This legislation would increase transparency, accountability, and oversight in nursing homes, improve staffing, and support innovation in the structure and culture of these facilities.
August 05, 2021
A new episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast is now available. When facilities tell residents and their families that they are “not a good fit” or encourage antipsychotic medications, often families feel pressured and aren’t sure how to advocate for their loved ones.
August 04, 2021
The Essential Caregivers Act (H.R. 3733) is bipartisan legislation that gives residents of nursing homes the right to access essential caregivers during any public health emergency. This Act is critical to resident well-being.
July 28, 2021
Earlier this year, Consumer Voice and CANHR filed, with the assistance of counsel AARP Foundation and Constantine Cannon LLP, a lawsuit challenging a CMS 2017 directive that weakened the enforcement standards of the Nursing Home Reform Act and put residents at risk of harm. Last week, CMS reversed course, rescinding the directive and reinstituting stronger penalties for nursing home violations.
July 20, 2021
The new issue brief provides details on why temporary nurse aides need to be required to receive full training and certification.
July 20, 2021
The National Consumer Voice for Quality Long-Term Care has been awarded a five-year Cooperative Agreement from the Administration for Community Living (ACL) to continue to operate the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC).
July 01, 2021
Consumer Voice has released two reports with findings from surveys of residents of long-term care facilities and their families.
June 30, 2021
Advocates identified four major research areas based on what they heard from consumers and witnessed themselves prior to and during the early months of the pandemic.
June 25, 2021
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) released a data snapshot detailing the devastating impact of COVID-19 on Medicare beneficiaries in nursing homes.
June 24, 2021
To address the longstanding problems in the long-term care system, as well as those exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Consumer Voice, with other advocacy organizations, have created a baseline framework with recommendations in six critical areas that need reform.
June 22, 2021
Many Governors and State Legislatures have signed executive orders or passed laws that prevent residents from holding nursing homes accountable in court. Consumer Voice has created a report detailing the status of nursing home immunity in every state.
June 18, 2021
A new episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast is now available. In this episode we are sharing with you a presentation held by the National Long-Term Care Ombudsman Resource Center (NORC) on how to identify and respond to signs of trauma and potential abuse or neglect and support residents as Ombudsman programs resume in-person visits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
June 16, 2021
All nursing home and assisted living facility residents and staff can receive a COVID-19 vaccine from the long-term care facility where they live or work. Read our information sheet to learn more.
June 15, 2021
Consumer Voice, along with partner advocates, have sent a letter calling on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to fully restore the visitation rights of nursing home residents.
May 20, 2021
2020 was a life-changing and traumatic year for nursing home residents. We have an opportunity to make major strides on behalf of residents. Will you help us now, so that we can seize this opportunity to achieve real reforms?
May 14, 2021
This new document reviews some of the most frequent questions we are asked by family members.
May 13, 2021
Consumer Voice has created a special webpage to honor and remember those we’ve lost during the lockdown.
May 04, 2021
The May 2021 issue of The Resident Advocate, a newsletter for residents of long-term care facilities, is now available.
May 04, 2021
Consumer Voice is seeking feedback from residents of long-term care facilities and their family members and friends about their experiences with visitation in the facility.
April 30, 2021
A new episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast is now available. In this conversation with Robyn Grant and Jocelyn Bogdan of Consumer Voice, learn about how residents, families, and advocates can use guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to facilitate in-person visitation.
April 27, 2021
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new guidance today that lifts restrictions on dining and other activities for fully vaccinated nursing home residents.
April 09, 2021
CMS rescinds emergency waivers related to notice prior to discharge/transfer, care planning, and submission of Minimum Data Set. Waivers related to nurse aide training remain.
April 07, 2021
On March 29, 2021, the CDC issued updated guidance regarding quarantining nursing home residents.
April 01, 2021
On March 10, 2021, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued revised visitation guidance. Read our full summary along with our key takeaways and concerns.
March 31, 2021
Episode 12 of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast is now available and features Dr. Jonathan Evans as he talks about caring for human beings with dementia.
March 31, 2021
Consumer Voice is now accepting proposals for sessions at the 2021 Consumer Voice Virtual Conference, November 3-5, 2021.
March 30, 2021
Consumer Voice submitted a statement for the record for the March 17, 2021 Senate Committee on Finance hearing “A National Tragedy: COVID-19 in the Nations’ Nursing Homes.”
March 11, 2021
Today, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. The law includes funding for long-term care ombudsman programs, Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services, funding for COVID-19 vaccines, funding for the Elder Justice Act, and more.
March 10, 2021
CMS released new guidance around visitation for nursing homes. It is effective immediately.
March 05, 2021
A new episode of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care podcast features Consumer Voice’s Sam Brooks and Lori Smetanka discussing the devastating effects of lockdowns on residents of long-term care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.
March 04, 2021
Consumer Voice, along with a number of other organizations and individuals, sent a letter with a detailed set of recommendations to CMS requesting that the agency take immediate measures to safely open the doors of nursing homes.
February 19, 2021
Episode 10 of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care Podcast is now available on Apple Podcasts. In March of 2020, as COVID-19 was spreading through nursing homes at alarming rates, nursing home doors were closed to outside visitors, keeping out families, friends and other members of the community. At the same time, most residents were required to stay in their rooms, doors often shut, having little contact with others. A survey of nursing home residents by Altarum provides a look at the impact of these restrictions on those living in the facilities, and the toll it has taken on their physical and emotional health.
February 15, 2021
On March 13, 2021, it will be one year since state and federal officials banned visits in nursing homes. Sign the petition to reunite residents with their familes.
February 12, 2021
Thank you to all those who participated in the Twitter Storm to ask CMS and Congress to #OpenNursingHomeDoors. Be sure you’ve signed the petition.
February 10, 2021
It’s been almost one year since nursing homes shut their doors on March 13, 2020. Join Consumer Voice this Friday, February 12th to urge Congress and CMS to #OpenNursingHomeDoors.
February 05, 2021
The New York Attorney General released a preliminary report on the effect of COVID-19 on nursing homes in New York.
January 28, 2021
Episode 9 of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care Podcast is now available on Apple Podcasts. In this conversation with Bev Laubert, Ohio State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and Patty Ducayet, Texas State Long-Term Care Ombudsman, we discuss resident rights, the role of the Ombudsman program, and how residents can advocate for their rights in their facility.
January 19, 2021
Consumer Voice joined a lawsuit filed by AARP Foundation and Constantine Cannon LLP alleging that CMS put residents at risk by limiting enforcement penalties.
January 19, 2021
Consumer Voice has published a report, The Devastating Effect of Lockdowns on Residents of Long-Term Care Facilities During COVID-19, based on responses from family members of residents of long-term care facilities.
January 15, 2021
Episode 8 of the Pursuing Quality Long-Term Care Podcast is now available on Apple Podcasts. Too often, caregivers are ill-equipped to address the needs of persons living with dementia, especially those related to behavioral health. In this episode we are sharing with you a presentation held at the 2020 Consumer Voice Virtual Conference. Listen as we explore strategies, effective treatments, and support for residents and families who often need help understanding their rights and how to get good care.