Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On September 1, 2020, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that “assisted living facilities (ALFs) may now apply for funding under the Provider Relief Fund Phase 2 General Distribution allocation. This announcement bolsters the Trump administration’s commitment to support health care providers in…… Continue reading Provider Relief Fund Application for Assisted Living Facilities – Tests Coming Also

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Overlooked and Undercounted: The Growing Impact of COVID-19 on Assisted Living Facilities is an analysis that “examines the impact of COVID-19 on assisted living facilities as well as changes over time, using state-level data on COVID-19 cases and deaths reported in early June 2020, and again…… Continue reading Overlooked and Undercounted: The Growing Impact of COVID-19 on Assisted Living Facilities

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare This guidance was last updated on August 29, 2020. It should be used to guide the interpretation of antigen testing results in the following circumstances: Testing of symptomatic residents and healthcare personnel (HCP)Testing of asymptomatic residents and HCP in facilities as part of an COVID-19 outbreak…… Continue reading Interim Guidance for Rapid Antigen Testing for SARS-CoV-2 Updated

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS-CDC Fundamentals of COVID-19 Prevention for Nursing Home Management is a website you’ll want to bookmark and check often.  On this website you’ll find upcoming webinar topics, recordings posted after the webinar, presentation slides and additional resources.  I have found these webinars to be very informative. …… Continue reading CMS-CDC Fundamentals of COVID-19 Prevention for Nursing Home Management

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Pathway Health is sponsoring this upcoming webinar that may be “right up your alley”. COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Calming the Perfect Storm September 18, 2020 … 12:30 pm -1:30 pm EDT Register here for this complimentary webinar.  (I’ve got my seat!) The pandemic of viral infection…… Continue reading COVID-19 in Nursing Homes: Calming the Perfect Storm (Upcoming Webinar)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare How to Select, Wear, and Clean Your Mask is a new CDC website that is consumer-facing.  It speaks to wearing cloth masks – not PPE that is used in your facility (AL, SNF/NF) or home.  I’m providing information in this blog that you could post on…… Continue reading New CDC Website – How to Select, Wear, and Clean Your Mask

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Two (2) Senators – Ron Wyden (Ranking Member, Finance Committee) and Robert Casey (Ranking Member, Committee on Aging) have addressed a 10-page letter to VP Pence to “reiterate our deep concern that the Trump Administration’s continued failure to secure and distribute personal protective equipment (PPE) leaves…… Continue reading Letter to Vice President Pence re: PPE Supplies to Nursing Homes

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Friday, August 28, 2020 CMS began posting information on COVID-19 testing.  The COVID-19 Nursing Home Data website is where this information will be made available along with the NHSN data.  This website is part of QSO-20-38-NH … Interim Final Rule issued August 26, 2020.  This QSO…… Continue reading COVID-19 Testing Positivity Data Now Available

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare COVID-19 Nursing Home Data for Week Ending August 16, 2020 is now available. As always, the Nursing Home Dataset is accessible further down beneath these and other graphs on that same website.  Check out the other resources and information available there as well. ______________________________________________________________________________ CMS-3401-IFC (Medicare…… Continue reading COVID-19 Updates: August 25 – 28, 2020

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare This work week is not quite over yet (I’m writing this on Thursday morning) however there are some items I want to be sure you’re aware of before more information is provided. Yesterday I posted QSO-20-37-CLIA, NH Issued – Interim Final Rule Guidance.  If you read…… Continue reading COVID-19 Updates – Digest for Week of August 24, 2020 (To Date)