Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare The Iowa Department of Public Health and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals have released a 13-page document to address phasing of restrictions for LTC facilities.  The document carries a date of June 4, 2020. “While public health mitigation efforts remain critically important, especially in…… Continue reading Iowa LTCs: Guidance on Phased Easing of Restrictions for Long-Term Care Facilities

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On June 4, 2020, CMS posted QSO-20-32.  Read my blog on that notification here.  The subject matter of that QSO is the Release of COVID-19 Nursing Home Data.  Later that same day, another QSO was posted:  QSO 20-33-NH … Posting of Nursing Home Inspections. This seems…… Continue reading Posting of Nursing Home Inspections

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare “Today, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is posting the first set of underlying coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) nursing home data. On April 19, 2020, CMS announced the requirement that nursing homes to inform residents, their families, and their representatives of COVID-19 cases in…… Continue reading BREAKING NEWS: Nursing Home COVID-19 Data and Inspections Results Available on Nursing Home Compare

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Version 2 of CMS’ Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes is now available.  “The toolkit compiles best practices, resources and strategies to help manage the COVID-19 pandemic in nursing homes. Protecting this vulnerable population is critical and now, Governors, state health…… Continue reading Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes – Version 2

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS updated this website on Friday, May 29, 2020.  “Given their congregate nature and population served, assisted living facilities (ALFs) are at high risk for SARS-CoV-2 spreading among their residents. If infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, assisted living residents—often older adults with underlying…… Continue reading Updated Considerations for Preventing Spread of COVID-19 in Assisted Living Facilities

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has provided this chart/graphic with data as of June 1, 2020: Beneath the chart online are these notations: Nursing Home COVID-19 Data Source: CDC National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). This data reflects data entered into the NHSN system by nursing homes as of May 24.…… Continue reading Initial Nursing Home COVID-19 Data – As of June 1, 2020

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On June 1, 2020, CMS revised and posted MLN Matters Special Edition Article SE20011 on Medicare Fee-for-Service (FFS) Response to the Public Health Emergency on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) to clarify when you must use modifier CR (catastrophe/disaster related) and/or condition code DR (disaster related) when submitting…… Continue reading MLN Matters Special Editions – Clarifying Use of Modifier CR and/or Condition Code DR

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Topic: LTC COVID-19 Data Quality Tips and Tricks Description: Join us for a data quality webinar to address some frequent issues including common data errors and how to fix and avoid them. Time: June 10, 2020 … 1:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada) Register…… Continue reading LTC COVID-19 Data Quality Webinar – NHSN (CDC)

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare Registration information for this second weekly session is now available here.      ________________________________________ Topic: Implementation Strategies for COVID-19 Surveillance and Early Detection Date: Thursday, June 4, 2020 Time: 4:00 – 5:00 PM ET Advance Registration Required: Note: Once you register, you will receive an email with your…… Continue reading National Nursing Home Training Series: Implementation Strategies for COVID-19 Surveillance

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On May 27, 2020, the World Health Organization released an Interim Guidance: Clinical Management of COVID-19.  This is a 62-page document and it is the 3rd edition (v1.3). “This guidance document is intended for clinicians caring for COVID-19 patients during all phases of their disease (i.e.…… Continue reading WHO Releases Interim Guidance: Clinical Management of COVID-19