FHCA: COVID-19 Updates & Information

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Coronavirus Update #3 for Nursing Homes
Nursing Home Conference Call
with Health & Regulatory Partners
Wednesday, March 11, at 11:00 a.m. EST
Dial 1-866-951-1151 Room # 8484844

FHCA and Partners Nursing Home Conference Call on Coronavirus Wednesday, March 11, at 11:00 a.m. EST
Dial 1-866-951-1151 and enter Room Number 8484844

FHCA will host a Nursing Home/Health & Regulatory Partners Conference Call on Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) tomorrow (Wed., March 11) at 11:00 a.m. EST. Presenters/Areas of Focus include but are not limited to:
  • Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz: Update on restricted entry criteria; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) supply update
  • Agency for Health Care Administration Secretary Mary Mayhew & Leadership Team: Nursing Home/Hospital transfer and admission protocols; survey changes pursuant to CMS Memo QSO-20-12 – Suspension of Non-Emergency Surveys; visitor screening/restrictions; isolation and COVID-19 testing protocols; Emergency Status System (ESS) reporting
  • FHCA Highlights: Visitor screening toolkit updates, hospital transfer resources, communications
  • Participant Q&A
To access last week’s FHCA/Partners Provider Call recordings, click here.
 
Recent Updates for Nursing Centers

The Florida Department of Health and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have issued guidance regarding screening and restricting visitors in nursing homes. CMS has revised its QSO-20-14-NH Memo, Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-2019) in Nursing Homes (March 9, 2020). According to the Memo, facilities should actively screen and restrict visitation by those who meet the following criteria:

  1. Signs or symptoms of a respiratory infection, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, or sore throat
  2. In the last 14 days, has had contact with someone with a confirmed diagnosis of COVID-19, or under investigation for COVID-19, or are ill with respiratory illness
  3. International travel, travel on a cruise ship or travel to countries outside the United States within the last 14 days
  4. Residing in a community where community-based spread of COVID-19 is occurring. Visit the Florida Department of Health COVID-19 web page for updates on confirmed Florida cases by county
Visitor Screening Toolkit
FHCA has updated our Visitor Screening Toolkit to reflect the updated guidance from CMS and the Department of Health. The toolkit includes recommendations for restricting, limiting or discouraging visitors, resources for conducting visitor and employee screenings, as well as sample signage to post in your center to alert visitors to your screening activities. It’s designed to serve as a best practice to support centers’ COVID-19 prevention activities. Centers should consult their legal and clinical teams when developing and implementing any company-specific procedures and protocols. Special thanks to Clear Choice Health Care and Avante Group for their contributions to this document.
 
SNF-Hospital Transfer Communication Tool
FHCA, in partnership with the Florida Hospital Association, has developed a SNF to Hospital and Hospital to SNF COVID-19 Transfer Communication Tool. The tool can be used to document an individual’s medical status related to COVID-19 to help facilitate communication between nursing centers and hospitals during patient transfers and admissions.
 
Stay Informed
Please continue visiting FHCA’s dedicated coronavirus web page, which includes updates from DOH, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), CMS and AHCA, along with links to support centers’ strategies for reducing the spread of COVID-19. R
 
FHCA will continue to provide updates on COVID-19 from our state and federal partners. If you have questions in the meantime, please contact FHCA: Deborah Franklin at dfranklin@fhca.org; Bob Asztalos at basztalos@fhca.org; or Melanie Motiska at mmotiska@fhca.org. Media inquiries can be directed to Kristen Knapp at kknapp@fhca.org.