CMS has revised the criteria requiring states to conduct focused infection control surveys, effective January 4, 2021, due to the increased availability of resources for the testing of residents and staff and factors related to the quality of care. This revision affects previous guidance issued June 1, 2020 concerning “COVID-19 Survey Activities, CARES Act Funding, Enhanced Enforcement for Infection Control …
Post-Mortem Specimen Collection – COVID-19
On November 2, 2020, the CDC posted recent changes to the collection and submission of post-mortem specimens from deceased persons with known or suspected COVID-19. Medical examiners, coroners, and pathologists should immediately notify their local or state health department in the event of the identification of a deceased person with known or suspected COVID-19. Per the CDC, the following recommendations …
Residential Care Facility Visitation- Michigan
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services released updates today regarding residential care facility visitation guidelines. Please read these updates thoroughly to understand what they mean for your facility. Click here to read the order, effective immediately, in its entirety. Click here for a PDF version available for download of this infographic. Click here for a PDF version available …
State of Michigan – SNF Testing Update
If you are a Michigan provider, this information is for you! The state of Michigan has updated their testing reimbursement guidelines and issues a memo on November 2, 2020. Please be sure you are following the guidelines, maintaining the documentation and requesting reimbursement for testing on a timely basis. Download the information from Michigan.gov! Stay the course, stay strong, stay …
No Mask – No Travel?
On October 19, 2020, the CDC updated guidelines on COVID-19 and said that public transportation operators “should refuse boarding” to passengers who don’t wear a face mask to stop the spread of the coronavirus. The CDC reemphasized current guidelines for wearing masks on planes, ships, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis and ride-shares and said masks should be worn in airports, …
ALF – OSHA – OUCH
Since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited 37 establishments for violations resulting in proposed penalties totaling $484,069. OSHA inspections have resulted in the agency citing employers for violations including failures to: Implement a written respiratory protection program; Provide a medical evaluation, respirator fit test, training on the …
CMS Press Release
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently updated the way they determine the rate of COVID-19 positivity in counties. This has the potential to affect your facility, as the frequency that many long term care facilities must test their staff is based on the positivity rate in their county. Please read the memo from CMS below to understand what …
National Action Plan to Advance Patient Safety
Despite substantial effort over the past 20 years, preventable harm in health care remains a major concern in the United States. Though many evidence-based, effective best practices related to harm reduction have been identified, they are seldom shared nationally and implemented effectively across multiple organizations. The National Steering Committee for Patient Safety released Safer Together: A National Action Plan to …
RE: Nursing Home Visitation During COVID-19 (Michigan)
On September 21, 2020, the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs of Michigan posted a memo to licensed federally certified nursing homes. In the memo, they advised that they were seeking clarity between a conflicting order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and guidance from CMS. Please read the full memo below:
PREP-Act Coverage – COVID Screening Tests
The United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is the lead agency for the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and on January 31, 2020, declared the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) a public-health emergency for the United States. A key component of that response is rapidly expanding COVID-19 testing across America. Within HHS, the Office of the …