MLN Connects Thursday, October 15, 2020 On October 14, CMS expanded the list of telehealth services that Medicare Fee-for-Service will pay for during the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE). CMS is also providing additional support to state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies in their efforts to expand access to telehealth. The actions reinforce President Trump’s Executive Order …
New CDC Guidance On October 5, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) posted new information on how COVID-19 spreads. This most recent information was posted in an effort to address recent controversy on whether COVIDf-19 can have airborne transmission and what implications this may have on indoor ventilation including isolation rooms: “There is evidence that under certain …
For one week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stopped issuing new health information related to the novel coronavirus after altering the procedure by which that information was being shared with the American people, sources with direct knowledge of the change told ABC news. The type of information that has been withheld has previously been vital to hospitals, health …
I know what you are thinking, seriously, another blog on facemasks? Yep! Honestly, we can’t say enough about the importance of facemasks! Adding to the debate, we are now finding that the facemasks we are using may not be effective! A recent publication in Medscape Nurses identifies that all facemasks are NOT equal, varying greatly in efficacy and comfort. The …
Thank you to those working to serve seniors and individuals with disabilites. AHCA/NCAL recently released a beautiful tribute to those who have been on the frontlines of long term care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The tribute is spoken by celebrities, athletes, musical artists, and actors from all over the country, and offers sincere gratitude to those keeping our most vulnerable …
The nursing home complaint process is a critical safeguard to protect vulnerable residents of nursing homes. CMS relies on the States’ respective survey agencies to serve as the front-line responders to address health and safety concerns raised by residents, their families and nursing home staff. State survey agencies must conduct onsite investigations within certain timeframes for the two most serious …
By AAAASF September 28, 2020 On September 25, 2020, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a memo describing instances where Medicare-participating ASCs may use Corrugated Medical Tubing (CMT). Currently, the CMS regulations require compliance with the 2012 NFPA 99 which requires medical gas and vacuum system distribution piping to be rigid copper tubing and does not include provisions …
Patrick Connole 10/6/2020 Providermagazine.com The American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) is asking long term care professionals, residents, their loved ones, and members of the public to partake in a national moment of silence on Oct. 8 to honor the tens of thousands of lives lost in these settings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re asking fellow Americans …
The Provider Relief Fund supports healthcare providers in the battle against the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and the Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (PPPCHE), the federal government has allocated $175 billion in payments to be distributed through the Provider Relief Fund (PRF). Qualified providers of health care, services and …
The National Nursing Home COVID Action Network, a partnership between AHRQ, the University of New Mexico’s ECHO institute and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), provides free training and mentorship to nursing homes across the country to increase the implementation of evidence-based infection prevention and safety practices to protect residents and staff. As of Fall 2020, nearly one-quarter of the …
