The Mayo Clinic, in partnership with the digital health start-up Safe Health Systems, has launched a new health and connected diagnostics platform that can be used to store COVID-19 testing and vaccination data, as well as test results for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and other medical conditions. “Mayo Clinic Platform believes that the future of virtual care includes on-demand diagnostic …
On November 20th, 2020, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) issued a Fifth Amended Public Health Order. This changes requirements for Colorado skilled nursing facilities, assisted living residences, intermediate care facilities, and group homes regarding Covid-19 prevention. The summary of important revised sections is below, per the CDPHE. Please visit their website for a complete list of …
In the United States, there is not yet an authorized or approved vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The federal government, through Operation Warp Speed, has been working since the pandemic started to make one or more COVID-19 vaccines available as soon as possible. Although the CDC does not have a role in developing COVID-19 vaccines, CDC has been …
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated its recommendations for likely person-to-person spread of SARS-CoV-2 to warn about the risk of multiple, brief, “close contact” encounters with others who are positive for COVID-19. New data suggest each close encounter, coming within 6 feet of an infected person, can increase the risk for transmission. Previously, the CDC cautioned against …
Among 355 nursing homes in New York State for which data on COVID-19 mortality rates were available, the presence of a health care worker union was associated with a 30% lower mortality rate from COVID-19 among nursing home residents. The findings were robust to adjustment for a range of covariates and specification checks for bias from missing data. We also …
Following President Trump’s declaration of the rapidly evolving COVID-19 outbreak as a national emergency, on March 13, 2020 the Secretary of the Department of Health & Human Services, Alex Azar authorized waivers and modifications under Section 1135 of the Social Security Act (the Act). As a result, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued blanket waivers consistent with those …
A Skilled Nursing News article highlights that during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services administrator Seema Verna announced changes to the rules governing nursing homes including waiving the requirement of a three-day hospital visit for Medicare to cover an SNF stay. The goal of waiving this requirement was to reserve hospital beds for …
On October 2, 2020, OSHA released a memorandum providing temporary enforcement guidance to Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) for enforcing initial and annual fit-testing requirements of the Respiratory Protection standard. Citation Guidance states: Provided NIOSH-approved tight-fitting PAPRs to protect personnel against SARS-CoV-2 using a high efficiency (HE) particulate cartridge or filter, when initial and/or annual fit-testing is infeasible due …
On October 30, 2020, CMS launched a new online platform to serve as a centralized hub bringing together the latest information, guidance and data on nursing homes that is important to facilities, frontline providers, residents, and their families, especially as the fight against COVID-19 continues. The Resource Center consolidates all nursing home information, guidance and resources into a user-friendly, one-stop-shop …
Roughly one in 10 people may have been infected with the coronavirus, leaving the vast majority of the world’s population vulnerable to the COVID-19 disease it causes the World Health Organization said on Monday, October 5th. Per Mike Ryan, the WHO’s top emergency expert, “our current best estimates tell us about 10% of the global population may have been infected …
