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Federal health officials instituted a rule mandating long-term care facilities report residents’ and staff’s COVID-19 vaccinations every week to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) starting in two weeks. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the vaccination reporting requirement on Tuesday, directing the facilities to report the data to the CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN), a national infection tracking system.  (Coleman, 5/11)

Long-term and intermediate care facilities will have to educate their residents, clients and staff about COVID-19 vaccines and offer such vaccines to those populations when available, according to a CMS interim final rule published Tuesday. If those facilities don't provide the required education and vaccinations, the agency could bar them from participating in Medicare or Medicaid. The rule also requires long-term and intermediate care facilities to report the COVID-19 vaccination status of their residents and staff to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Brady, 5/11)

Congress is renewing its scrutiny of the nursing home industry, arguing there is a lack of transparency around the ownership and finances of chains, especially those owned by private equity. About 40% of COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. occurred in nursing homes, partly due to the nature of congregate settings that make it hard to control the spread of infections. But Democrats want more information about the roles private equity and chain ownership of nursing homes plays in patient outcomes, pointing to studies that show more deaths and worse care in facilities owned by investors. (Hellmann, 5/11)

Telehealth advocates are struggling to allay lawmakers’ fears about increased Medicare costs as they seek to capitalize on momentum from the pandemic’s shutdown on in-person care. Expanding telemedicine is a rare unifying force among industry giants that want to broaden digital health for the entitlement program’s 61 million enrollees. But telehealth advocates are battling twin fears about potentially higher spending and fraud — two concerns they call unfounded. (Clason, 5/12)

Telehealth companies, flush with cash after the Covid-19 pandemic spiked both demand and investment, are now embarking on massive lobbying efforts to secure their interests on Capitol Hill. The goal is clear: Lawmakers are weighing whether to permanently loosen regulations that were temporarily eased during the pandemic. Among other changes, providers have been allowed to practice in states where they are not licensed, and Medicare has been permitted to pay providers the same for virtual visits as in-person ones. Lobbyists for the rapidly growing industry are determined to keep those changes intact. (Cohrs and Ross, 5/12)