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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Toolkit a Resource for Long Term Care Facilities

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Coronavirus (COVID-19) Toolkit a Resource for Long Term Care Facilities Coronavirus (COVID-19) Toolkit A Resource for Long Term Care Facilities March 2020 236 Metro Drive | Jefferson City, MO 65109 www.mohealthcare.com Coronavirus (COVID-19) Toolkit A Resource for Long Term Care Facilities Table of Contents Introduction to Screening Toolkit .....................................................................................................................3-4 Hospital-to-Facility Transfer Form ....................................................................................................................5 Post-Acute Care and Behavioral Health to Hospital Transfer Form ................................................... 6 NEW CDC Guidance on Use of Masks, Gowns and Eye Protection to Conserve Supplies ........ 7-11 CMS & DHSS Guidance ........................................................................................................................................ 12-41 SLCR Guidance on Residents Leaving the Facility REVISED ....................................................... 13 DHSS PPE Resource Request Process .................................................................................................14 DHSS Guidance for Hospice Care in Long Term Care Facilities ............................................... 15 CMS Memo: REVISED QSO-20-14-NH ...............................................................................................16-21 Communal Dining Approaches ...................................................................................................22-23 CMS Memo: QSO-20-17-ALL (Industrial Respirators) .................................................................. 24-26 CMS Memo: QSO-20-12-ALL (Suspension of Survey Activities) .............................................. 27-38 CMS Memo: QSO-20-09-ALL (Information for HCF on 2019-nCoV) ..................................... 39-41 CMS Issues Waivers of 3-day Stay and Spell of Illness ..............................................................................42-43 Implement Environment Infection Control – Cleaning and Disinfection ............................................ 44-45 COVID Medicare FFS and Medicare Advantage Guidance ...................................................................... 46-47 Communications to Residents, Families, and Vendors ..............................................................................48-50 Template Letter for Residents, Families, Visitors ............................................................................ 49 Template Letter to Vendors ....................................................................................................................50 Employee Screening Resources...........................................................................................................................51-53 Template Letter to Employees ...............................................................................................................52 Employee Screening Tool ........................................................................................................................53 Impacted and Non-Impacted Facilities ............................................................................................................54-62 Media Statement and Talking Points – Impacted Facility ........................................................... 55-58 Media Statement and Talking Points – Non-Impacted Facility ................................................ 59-62 Signage/Infographics .............................................................................................................................................. 63-67 Stop the Spread of Germs Infographic ..............................................................................................64 What to Do If You Are Sick Infographic .............................................................................................65 Hand Washing Infographic .....................................................................................................................66 Coronavirus Precautions ..........................................................................................................................67 OSHA Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for COVID-19 ....................................................................... 68-102 Guide on Communications During an Emergency ......................................................................................103-109 Acknowledgement .................................................................................................................................................... 110 Coronavirus (COVID-19) Toolkit A Resource for Long Term Care Facilities Introduction The top priority at this point with COVID-19 is to prevent the virus from entering your nursing home given the high case fatality rate in the elderly, which preliminary data shows it at 15% or greater. Evaluations from prior viral epidemics that spread like COVID-19 found that actions taken early in outbreaks (such as social distancing, restricting interaction with others, washing hands) can significantly reduce the spread of the virus. Waiting until the virus is spreading in the community is often too late. As such, AHCA strongly recommends five actions to help prevent the entry of COVID-19 into your facilities whether or not it has been found in your surrounding community.1 1. Allow entry to only individuals who need entry. 2. Restrict activities and visitors with potential for exposure. 3. Actively screen individuals entering the building and restrict entry to those with respiratory symptoms or possible exposure to COVID-19. 4. Require all individuals entering the building to wash their hands at entry. 5. Set up processes to allow remote communication for residents and others. For additional resources and ongoing updates on COVID-19, visit the MHCA dedicated coronavirus web page at https://www.mohealthcare.com/covid-19-resources. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) and Department of Health & Senior Services (DHSS) Resources Both CMS and DHSS are constantly providing updated information as it becomes available. We have included the most current information from CMS & DHSS in this toolkit. Visitor Screening and Criteria Each nursing facility should designate staff members, trained in screening protocols. In this toolkit you will find the following: • Template letter for residents, family members and visitors, educating them about COVID- 19 and policies of the nursing home to prevent its spread (Attachment 1); • Template communication to vendors requested they not enter the nursing facility if they are potentially at risk of carrying the COVID-19 virus (Attachment 2); Employee Screening Health care providers (HCP) who have signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection should not report to work. Any staff who develop signs and symptoms of a respiratory infection while on the job, should: • Immediately stop work, put on a facemask, and self-isolate at home; • Inform the facility’s infection preventionist, and include information on individuals, equipment, and locations the person came in contact with; and • Contact and follow the local health department recommendations for next steps (e.g., testing, locations for treatment). • Refer to the CDC guidance for exposures that might warrant restricting at risk, yet asymptomatic healthcare personnel from reporting to work. Page| 3 Tools to Develop Staff Screening Protocols: • Sample letter to educate staff on steps implemented to help reduce the potential for the virus to enter the nursing home (Attachment 6); and • Employee screening tool (Attachment 7). How to Deal with the Media and Community It is important to be prepared for possible questions from both the general population of your community and the media. Attached are statements and talking points for both facilities with coronavirus (attachment 8) and facilities without coronavirus (attachment 9). Posting Information It is important to post educational information that reminds employees and visitors to follow precautions to protect residents from the COVID-19. Attached are sample signage/infographics for facility use: • Methods to Stop the Spread of Germs (Attachment 10); • What to do if you are sick (Attachment 11); • Hand Washing How-To (Attachment 12); and • Coronavirus (COVID-19) Precautions to displayed at all entrances to your nursing home (Attachment 13). *The information and materials provided in this toolkit are designed to serve as a best practice to support facilities’ COVID-19 prevention activities. Facilities should consult their legal and clinical teams when developing and implementing any company-specific procedures and protocols. Page| 4 HOSPITAL TO FACILITY TRANSFER — COVID-19 INSTRUCTIONS: All hospitalized patients should be assessed for COVID-19 prior to transfer to a post-acute care facility. This tool should be used to document an individual’s medical status related to COVID-19 and to facilitate communication between the hospital and the receiving facility during patient transfers. This document must be signed-off by the physician, APRN, or PA who completes the clinical assessment. A copy of the form should be provided to the EMS provider. CHECK THE BOX FOR EACH OF THE CRITERIA APPROPRIATE TO THE PATIENT’S STATUS: Patient Name: __________________________________________________________________________________________ Transferring Facility: ___________________________________Accepting Facility: ___________________________________
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