BriggsNetNews

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare On Monday, January 10, 2022, the Biden Administration announced that insurance companies as well as group health plans will be required to cover the cost of at-home COVID-19 tests.  This initiative was announced in order to increase the nation’s access to free tests, beginning Saturday, January…… Continue reading Insurance Companies and Group Health Plans Required to Cover the Cost of At-Home COVID-19 Tests

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CDC updated the COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shots website on January 7, 2022. Additional information regarding the J&J/Janssen COVID-19 vaccine is found here. Healthcare workers and people ages 65 years and older should get their booster shots as soon as they’re eligible.  These vaccines save lives!

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP   Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has released two (2) data files that pertain to nursing home vaccinations: COVID-19 Vaccination Rates – State and National Averages State and National averages for facility resident and healthcare personnel COVID-19 vaccination rates.Data are presented as one row per state or territory plus a row…… Continue reading COVID-19 Nursing Home Vaccination Data Files Posted

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CDC posted an update to the previous ICAR tool on January 7, 2022.  Infection Control Assessment and Response (ICAR) tools are used to systematically assess a healthcare facility’s infection prevention and control (IPC) practices and guide quality improvement activities (e.g., by addressing identified gaps). This update…… Continue reading CDC Updates Infection Prevention and Control Assessment Tool for Nursing Homes Preparing for COVID-19

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare If you vaccinate or administer monoclonal antibody treatment to patients enrolled in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans on or after January 1, 2022, submit claims to the MA Plan. Original Medicare won’t pay these claims. For more information, consult these resource websites: Medicare Billing for COVID-19 Vaccine…… Continue reading COVID-19 Vaccine & Monoclonal Antibody Products: Changes for MA Plan Claims Start January 1

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP  Clinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS has posted the COVID-19 nursing home data for the week ending December 26, 2021. This latest data set shows these changes from the December 19th report: Resident vaccination rate increased 0.1%Staff vaccination increased 0.7% (increase same as previous week)Resident confirmed cases increased 5,965Staff confirmed cases increased…… Continue reading Latest CMS, CDC and NHSN COVID-19 Data Posted

Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDPClinical Consultant – Briggs Healthcare CMS posted an updated Nursing Home Visitation Frequently Asked Questions on Thursday, January 6, 2022 during the COVID-19 Vaccine and Booster: National Nursing Home Stakeholder Call. The 5-page FAQ document contains this introductory statement: Watch for the red ink within this FAQ as that denotes the…… Continue reading Nursing Home Visitation Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Updated