Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare How to Report COVID Vaccine-Related Adverse Events — As Americans start receiving their first COVID-19 vaccines, additional data on potential adverse events are needed in real time. Healthcare providers will play a critical role in reporting vaccine-related adverse events through the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System…… Continue reading Updated CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Information/Materials

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Effective Jan. 11, HHSC has adopted new COVID-19 vaccination data reporting emergency rules. The rules require nursing facilities and assisted living facilities to accurately report COVID-19 vaccination data for staff and residents to HHSC in the format established by HHSC within 24 hours of completing a…… Continue reading Texas Adopts New COVID-19 Vaccination Data Reporting Emergency Rules for NF and ALF Providers

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare NHSN has posted a 13-page LTCF COVID-19 POC Testing Reporting Tool FAQ.  There’s a great deal of information within this document, including a link to an archived training webinar.  Yesterday, I bloggedabout upcoming webinars – this week – addressing this tool.  Check out that blog for…… Continue reading NHSN Reporting Updates

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted these new QSO Memoranda in the past 2 weeks:    QSO-21-11-ALL: QSO-21-10-CLIA: QSO-21-08-NLTC(note that this QSO is for non-LTC and continuing care providers): QSO-21-09-ASC:

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the most recent – January 11, 2021 – county positivity rates for COVID-19.  This data is used by LTC facilities to determine the frequency of staff testing.  QSO-20-38-NH guidelines include testing staff on a certain frequency based on the COVID-19 positivity rate for…… Continue reading CMS Posts County Positivity Rates – January 11, 2021

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Updates to the NHSN Point of Care Test (POCT) Reporting Tool for COVID-19 Date: Tuesday, Jan 12, 2021Time: 3:30 – 4:45 PM ET Date: Wednesday, Jan 13, 2021Time: 12:30 – 1:45 PM ET Date: Thursday, Jan 14, 2021Time: 11:00 AM – 12:15 PM ET Register in advance for these webinars:https://cdc.zoomgov.com/webinar/register/WN_qsltX2jvSCC5FkNa-yytogexternal icon After…… Continue reading CDC NHSN LTCF Module: Updates to the NHSN Point of Care Test (POCT) Reporting Tool for COVID-19

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, Alex Azar, officially renewed the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for COVID-19, effective January 21, 2021, for an additional 90 days.  This renewal happened on Thursday, January 7, 2021. The current PHE declaration was set to expire…… Continue reading Renewal of Determination That A Public Health Emergency Exists

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare We’ve heard a lot about social media in recent days.  Here’s a good use of social media – get the word out about vaccinations, particularly for LTC residents and staff.  CDC has provided a social media toolkit to provide education for this group (and others) on…… Continue reading Social Media Toolkit: COVID-19 Vaccinations

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare If you missed this webinar hosted by NFID (National Foundation for Infectious Diseases) on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, you can view the webinar recording at your convenience. This recorded webinar includes a discussion on recent COVID-19 vaccine updates. This webinar addresses implementation guidance and frequently asked…… Continue reading COVID-19 Update: Vaccination Recommendations & Implementation (Webinar Recording Available)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CDC’s National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) now allows long term care facilities to report weekly COVID-19 vaccination data for residents and healthcare personnel. Weekly reporting is currently optional. CDC is promoting weekly reporting through NHSN as the COVID-19 Vaccination Module allows for reporting of vaccination percentages…… Continue reading NHSN Tracking of COVID-19 Vaccination for Residents and Staff