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 …
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Department of Defense (DoD) today released two documents outlining the Trump Administration’s detailed strategy to deliver safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine doses to the American people as quickly and reliably as possible. The documents, developed by HHS in coordination with the DoD and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention …
Please review the newest rule issued from CMS to understand what it means for your facility. This affects requirements for COVID-19 testing in regards to residents, staff, volunteers, and individuals providing services under arrangement. Read the summary from CMS below and click here to access the full memorandum. CMS is committed to taking critical steps to ensure America’s healthcare facilities …
Beginning August 28, 2020, the Defense Logistics Agency will direct shipment of N95 respirators to select nursing homes that recently reported having enough supplies for only zero to three days of operations. These respirators are meant to supplement existing supplies of personal protective equipment (PPE) and will provide a seven-day supply for each nursing home to support an entire shift …
Many COVID-19 cases are geographically localized and can overwhelm local healthcare facilities. Healthcare systems typically have uneven distribution of COVID-19 cases with some regional healthcare systems experiencing patient surges while others have excess capacity for patient care. When healthcare facilities reach or exceed patient capacity “Crisis Standards of Care” are often implemented. Healthcare systems entering Crisis Standards of Care are …
CMS Press Release August 26, 2020 CMS.gov On August 26, 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released guidance for nursing homes and clinical laboratories to assist in enhancing their abilities to prevent the spread of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to nursing home residents and their front line staff. Nursing homes are particularly vulnerable to the prevalence …
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is alerting health care facility risk managers, procurement staff and health care providers that gowns sold as medical gowns including surgical gowns, sold by Laws of Motion PPE (LawsofMotionPPE.com) have potential quality issues that affect the level of fluid barrier protection. The FDA is recommending that gowns manufactured or sold by Laws of …
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) procured sixty decontamination devices from Battelle Labs, an Ohio based company, for various states across the nation. Michigan received a Battelle device on April 24 which includes four decontamination units housed at the TCF Center in Detroit, Michigan. The decontamination system is approved to process N95 respirators only. Battelle’s device can decontaminate thousands of …
August 17, 2020 CMS.gov On August 17, 2020 the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced it will resume routine inspections of all Medicare and Medicaid certified providers and suppliers to improve the safety and quality of life of patients and residents. CMS had previously suspended certain routine inspections as part of its response to the coronavirus disease 2019 …
AMDA FORMALLY ENDORSES A NATIONAL POLST FORM Press Release July 2, 2020 Columbia, MD, and Washington, DC – AMDA – The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine and National POLST are excited to announce that AMDA is the first national organization to formally endorse and support the adoption of a national POLST form. The AMDA board passed the resolution …
