STATE NEWS

Highlights from KDHE’s Weekly COVID Update for Local Partners, July 8^th
In the US, averaging about 13,800 new cases each day according to the 7‐day average. That is up from 12,600 from the previous week. The COVID-19 Delta variant is now the most type in CMS Region 7 (KS, MO, IA, NE) as of 2 weeks ending July 3rd.  Region 7 is higher than national average.

In Kansas:

• Of PCR specimens collected and sequenced, 80% are Delta variant as of July 3rd.
• Trend line for daily rate of new cases was slightly increasing last week and it is pretty sharply increasing this week.
• 1,071 new cases and 7 new deaths reported between July 2 and July 2, 2021.
• This week there are 45 active clusters, a big jump from the 26 last week.
• 11 active outbreaks in LTCFs (which is up slightly from 9 last week). 5 COVID deaths in LTC during most recent reporting period.
• Percentage of outbreak-related cases is 12.5%, outbreak‐related hospitalizations is about 18.1% and outbreak‐related deaths is about 41.9%.

See slides and accompanying Q&Afrom this week’s KDHE Weekly COVID Update for Local Partners.

Visitor Screening Question from a Member
Can we document in our visitor screening log that the temperature was above or below a specified threshold (i.e. 100.4 degrees), rather than documenting the exact temperature in the log?

Answer:Yes, you can according to Dawne Stevenson RN, KDADS Director of Survey, Certification and Credentialing. She goes on to convey that the pathway the surveyors use states:

Visitor Entry Review for compliance of:

• Screening processes and criteria (i.e., screening questions and assessment of illness);
• Visitation is conducted according to residents’ rights for visitation and in a manner that does not lead to transmission of COVID-19; and
• Signage posted at facility entrances for screening and restrictions as well as a communication plan to alert visitors of new procedures/restrictions.

Make sure you have and follow a written policy, whether you record above or below the threshold or the specific temperature.

FEDERAL NEWS

New COVID-19 Accelerated and Advance Payment (CAAP) Repayment and Recovery FAQ  
CMS has released a new FAQ on the CAAP. It answers questions on terminology, repayment generally, recoupment, paying off the balance, specific questions for Periodic Interim Payment (PIP) providers, cost report impacts, and other topics. It can be found here.

NHSN Changes and Webinar at Noon on July 12th  
Just a reminder that CDC has scheduled to make several changes to the NHSN LTCF COVID-19 reporting module this week. Changes include removing the ventilator capacity pathway, updating therapeutics and point of care testing, adding pop-up alerts in a few pathways, and changing the layout of certain data elements. The overall goal is a streamlined, more user-friendly process. CDC will host two webinars to review these changes at Noon CT on July 12th. Register for the webinar here.

LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS

Here is What You Missed if You Were Not on Today’s Webinar
Today’s webinar was short, sweet and to the point. We talked about the $15/day Medicaid delay, Board of Cosmetology and much more. Listen to the recording. Download the handouts.

On July 16th, we will welcome Kerry McCue with Healthcare Coalition Partners of Kansas.

Make plans to join us each Friday at 10 AM. Register here.

LEADINGAGE NATIONAL NEWS

Advocating for Suspension of CMPs related to NHSN
LeadingAge has submitted written comments to CMS about the misguided and harmful effects of fining long term care providers for NHSN reporting deficiencies (some of which are out of a provider’s control.) Association leaders have also had specific communication with CMS officials about this issue.

Coronavirus Update Calls For Next Week
July 12^th at 2:30 PM CT – COVID-19 vaccination issues and barriers for frontline domestic workers. Judy Rebert from the National Domestic Workers Alliance will share their latest survey research and provide tips and examples to help educate and encourage staff to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The Delta variant of the coronavirus is taking hold across the country and the globe and LeadingAge members are wondering what this means for the months ahead.

July 14^th at 2:30 PM CT – Dr. Ghinwa Dumyati from the University of Rochester will talk with us about the new variant and what LeadingAge members can do to protect staff and residents as this new variant spreads.

If you haven’t registered for the calls, you can join them here.

RESOURCES

• Bookmark this site to get updates about COVID-19 misinformation from the Public Health Communications Collaborative. The website summarizes the misinformation, discusses its origins, and gives recommendations on whether it is best to ignore the misinformation, be prepared for a passive response, or directly address the misinformation. There is also a section called “Tough Q&A” that can help you formulate an answer to some of the tough questions you might get about COVID‐19.
• Take a look at the many good resources from the Public Health Communications Collaborative.
• VIRA (“Vaccine Information Resource Assistant”) is a very user-friendly chatbot developed by the International Vaccine Access Center at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. VIRA will provide you science‐based answers about COVID-19 vaccination. This would be good to share with vaccine hesitant or skeptical individuals, too. You might want to consider posting it on your social media site as a community service.

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