LARA Shares Information on Enhanced Enforcement Today, Michelle Roepke Director Federal Survey and Certification Division, Department of Licensing & Regulatory Affairs (LARA), Bureau of Community and Health Systems (BCHS) shared that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will be requiring all states to utilize Directed Plan of Correction (DPOC) as indicated in CMS S&C Memo QSO-20-31-ALL for all D level or higher F-880 citations issued in surveys with an exit date of June 1, 2020 or later. The DPOC will require inclusion of specific criteria above and beyond the normal Plan of Correction (POC) elements. LARA will be sharing a template of the required elements to affected providers within the coming week. Ms. Roepke also shared there are a few providers who received an F-880 citation after June 1, 2020, who have submitted their POC and already received approval from their Survey Managers (SM). These providers will be contacted directly by their SM as they will be affected by the requirement of the DPOC. The association will share more with members as additional information and guidance is available.
Be Prepared for Hot Weather Temperatures across the state are expected to remain in the 90's through much of the state through the next week. Our COVID controls and measures put added burden on preparedness plans. Make sure you have reviewed your emergency plans and have included procedures that incorporate any additional needs and precautions you may need to take due to a loss of power or difficulty in managing the high heat.
CDC Updates Infection Preventionist Recommendations The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated recommendations for nursing facilities response to COVID-19, specifically related to the role of Infection Preventionist. The update includes; "Facilities should assign at least one individual with training in IPC to provide on-site management of their COVID-19 prevention and response activities because of the breadth of activities for which an IPC program is responsible, including developing IPC policies and procedures, performing infection surveillance, providing competency-based training of HCP, and auditing adherence to recommended IPC practices." For questions or concerns please contact Cathy Sunlin at CathySunlin@HCAM.org.
July 7, 2020 |