The novel coronavirus can linger on human skin much longer than flu viruses can, according to a new study from researchers in Japan. SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, remained viable on samples of human skin for about 9 hours, according to the study. In contrast, a strain of influenza A virus (IAV) remained viable on human skin for about …
Negative pressure isolation space is an effective method to meet needed surge capacity during the COVID-19 pandemic and future pandemics. Planning for how and where to rapidly create a negative pressure isolation space is needed in congregate living areas such as skilled nursing facilities. In an article published in the American Journal of Infection Control (9-14-2020), they demonstrate the feasibility …
Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) strike 2 million Americans annually, killing 99,000; more people die from HAI than car accidents and homicides combined. People, either a healthcare worker or the patient himself could be a source. Hand hygiene, carefully washing with soap and water or cleaning using alcohol rubs, is followed only 40% of the time. Doctors’ and nurses’ coats carry MRSA …
On October 21, 2020, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published an article on PSNet Patient Safety Network that patients are delaying or forgoing routine, urgent, and emergent health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the high risk of these behaviors and possibly an overabundance of caution by the general public, a cohort study was conducted that included …
Weeks after issuing social distancing orders to suppress severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission and reduce growth in cases of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (covid-19), all U.S. states and the District of Columbia partially or fully relaxed these measures. In a study published in the Oxford Academic – Clinical Infectious Diseases on October 3, 2020, researchers identified an …
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 recent study by Annie Wong-Beringer, PharmD, FCCP and colleagues found that the shorter the time from the onset of COVID symptoms to hospitalization, the more serious the disease becomes and a higher mortality rate! The study included 252 patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 between March 14 and May 14. Patients presenting within three days after symptoms onset tended to …
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 …
The COVID-19 pandemic has shaken the world in such a way that many small businesses including post-acute care centers are struggling to stay afloat. Restrictions on what we can and can’t do, who comes, who goes, where they go, and for how long has challenged the most seasoned administrator/owner since early March. Add to that the CMS requirement for testing, …
In a recent article published in Skilled Nursing News, they discussed how the COVID-19 isolation units were used to combat the virus in skilled nursing facilities and how they may now be helpful in preventing the spread of influenza. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) took steps in March to make it easier to transfer residents within facilities …
