COVID-19 Infection Control Surveys
On March 23rd, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced a new, targeted inspection plan designed to help keep nursing home residents safe in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan calls for focused inspections on urgent patient safety threats (called “immediate jeopardy”) and infection control. These targeted inspections allow CMS to focus inspections on the most urgent situations. During the pandemic, normal survey activities have been put on hold, including re-visit surveys.
LeadingAge NY had previously provided the Focused COVID-19 Survey Checklist but has heard from several members who had recently experienced this type of survey and thought it was important to re-emphasize the need to be familiar with the potential compliance elements in this area. Utilizing the checklist should help nursing homes to identify areas that need to be strengthened to reduce the risk of infection to residents and staff.
Nursing homes are different in terms of many factors, including staffing, resources, and configuration. Therefore, meeting infection control challenges may be unique for different facilities. Members having questions or seeking specific guidance in the development and implementation of infection control measures in their facility should reach out to Dawn Carter, ProCare Consultant, at dcarter@leadingageny.org. Dawn has guided LeadingAge NY members in infection control programs and has been a resource to members during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Contact: Elliott Frost, efrost@leadingageny.org, 518-441-8761