May 17th COVID-19 Update
New COVID-19-related updates for providers of long-term/post-acute care (LTPAC) and senior services continue to be shared on a regular basis by both state and federal authorities. The latest developments are described below.
As a reminder, LeadingAge NY continues to convene weekly webinars on Mondays at 11 a.m. to address emerging questions on COVID-19. A recording of our most recent webinar, held on May 16th, is available here, and a list of the items shared by LeadingAge NY staff in the webinar chat can be accessed here. Please note that there will be no webinar next week due to the LeadingAge NY Annual Conference and Exposition; we will return with a new update after Memorial Day on Tues., May 31st at 1 p.m. If you have questions in the meantime or would like the access information for these webinars, please contact Jeff Diamond.
Cross-Sector Updates
PRF Late Reporting Requests
We remind members that the opportunity to request to report late on Provider Relief Funds received from July 1, 2020 through Dec. 31, 2020 (i.e., Period 2) ends Wed., May 18th at 11:59 p.m. Providers may submit a request to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to report late if specified extenuating circumstances were the cause of their failure to file by the initial deadline. Information on the circumstances that warrant a late filing request, as well as the form to file, can be found here. Please note that providers may not utilize the Request to Report Late process to request an opportunity to make edits or adjustments to an already submitted report. Please contact the Provider Support Line at 866-569-3522 for assistance regarding revising a submitted report.
Those who submitted late filing requests for Period 1 (i.e., funding received through June 30, 2020) may be notified whether their request was accepted or not as early as this week. Those approved to file a late report will have 10 days from the notification date to do so.
Nursing Home Updates
AHCA Announces Blended Online TNA to CNA Training Program
The American Health Care Association (AHCA) recently unveiled a blended online nurse assistant course, How to be a Nurse Assistant, giving long term care facilities a unique approach to transitioning temporary nurse aides (TNAs) to certified nurse aides (CNAs). Click here for more information.
Reminder on CMS Staff Vaccination Matrix
LeadingAge NY would like to remind nursing home members that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is now requiring all COVID-19 vaccination information to be entered in the Staff Vaccination Matrix. Ideally, it should be given to the survey team by the end of the first day.
NHSN Training
The National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) indicated an intent to make some reporting changes at the end of May to the main pathways of the LTC COVID-19 Module, as well as to the Resident and Staff Vaccination Module. Four educational sessions had been announced. Please note that at this time, the sessions scheduled for May 24th and 26th have been postponed. The agenda for the session scheduled for May 19th has been changed to focus on the Vaccination Module, and it will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Registration is available here.