FEDERAL NEWS

Latest NHSN Updates
NHSN has reported several updates this week including security enhancements to the event-level vaccination reporting form, a webinar on September 21st on the pending update of the “up to date” definition, and information on NHSN data transfers for the SNF QRP. Read more here.

CMS Listening Session on Emergency Preparedness. CMS Clinical Standards Group (CSG) hosted a listening session on emergency preparedness requirements on September 13th. LeadingAge participated in the listening session, contributing feedback on behalf of LeadingAge members subject to emergency preparedness requirements. Read a summary of the listening session here. LeadingAge will also be submitting written feedback to CMS. Please email Jodi Eyigor jeyigor@leadingage.org by Friday, September 23rd if you wish to contribute feedback on any of the following:

• Barriers you have experienced in implementing emergency preparedness requirements.
• Resources you use in emergency planning and resources you would like to see developed.
• How your community stands down / recovers following an emergency, including how you assess and correct any issues identified during the emergency.
• Waivers and flexibilities that have been most helpful and least helpful during the current COVID-19 public health emergency.               

CMS Seeking Feedback from Individual Healthcare Staff on Emergency Preparedness
CMS will host a listening session on September 27th at Noon Central to solicit feedback from individual healthcare staff on emergency preparedness requirements. LeadingAge previously attended a listening session on emergency preparedness and encourages members to register here to participate in and provide direct feedback to CMS on the following questions:

• How has the extended duration of the COVID-19 public health emergency affected the workforce at your facility/employer? How has your facility/employer addressed any staffing shortages? How has your facility/employer approached the delivery of patient/resident care in light of staffing shortages?
• What are some innovative approaches that your facility/employer has taken to address the impacts of emergency situations on health care staff?
• What resources are available in your community to support health care workers during and after emergency events?
• How often (if at all) do you participate in emergency preparedness exercises, and what do those exercises entail? How did the exercises prepare you to address actual emergency situations?
• What can CMS do to ensure a more resilient healthcare workforce to withstand future emergencies?

LEADINGAGE KANSAS NEWS

Friday Webinars: Amy Siple Joins Us to Talk About Psychotropic Medication Management
Join us this Friday for an update on what is going on pertaining to COVID, a recap of our Candidate Listening Tour, updates on the association front and much more.

If you haven’t registered already, you can do so here. You can also see archived webinars and get handouts here.

LEADINGAGE NATIONAL NEWS

LeadingAge Coronavirus Update Call Monday
COVID-19 has changed the way that we think of how we help those we serve on the journey to end of life and how advance care planning and discussions can improve quality of care. While these are tough conversations to have, it can have a tremendous impact on how those we care for get the best care in their final time of need.

On Monday, September 19th, at 2:30 PM CT, Brynn Bowman, President and CEO of the Center to Advance Palliative Care will join us to provide lessons learned from COVID and tools to help deliver palliative and end of life care.

If you haven’t registered for LeadingAge Update Calls, you can do so here. You can also find previous call recordings here. Note that to access recordings of the calls you need a LeadingAge password. Any staff member of any LeadingAge member organization can set up a password to access previous calls and other “members only” content.

RESOURCES

GAO Report on Nursing Home Infection Control
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on September 14 recommending strengthened oversight on infection prevention and control in nursing homes. Recommendations included establishing minimum training standards for infection preventionists, collecting infection preventionist staffing data to determine if current requirements are sufficient, and improving guidance to surveyors on citing scope and severity of infection control deficiencies. Access the report and recommendations here.

Mortality Risk Among Patients Hospitalized Primarily for COVID-19 During the Omicron and Delta Variant Pandemic Periods
CDC published an MMWRon mortality risk among patients hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 during the Omicron and Delta variant pandemic periods in United States from April 2020 to June 2022. Risk for severe COVID-19 increases with age, disability, and underlying medical conditions. The SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is more infectious but has been associated with less severe disease. In-hospital mortality among patients hospitalized primarily for COVID-19 decreased from 15.1% (Delta period) to 4.9% (later Omicron period; April–June 2022), despite high-risk patient groups representing a larger proportion of hospitalizations. During the later Omicron period, the majority of in-hospital deaths occurred among adults aged ≥65 years (81.9%) and persons with three or more underlying medical conditions (73.4%). Vaccination, early treatment, and appropriate nonpharmaceutical interventions remain important public health priorities to prevent COVID-19 deaths, especially among persons most at risk.

NIC Analysis: Assisted Living Occupancy Rebound
Last week, the National Investment Center released an analysis summary that outlines the three drivers of the dramatic recovery that Assisted Living providers are seeing in occupancy. Despite experiencing a “faster and larger decline in occupancy” during the pandemic than IL residences, AL providers are now seeing just as significant a recovery, with 92 of 100 primary and secondary markets experiencing a positive change in occupancy. The three drivers of this rebound were identified as 1) the release of ‘pent-up demand’ from the pandemic, 2) the growth in the 85+ segment of the population that typically has co-morbidities that require care in AL and 3) construction activity in the IL segment was greater than in the AL segment, so the volume of new available units effected the overall comparative occupancy of both segments. Also notable was the fact that the NIC Secondary markets – generally the small- to medium-sized markets – have recovered faster than the Primary markets, which was also attributed to the slower pace of new construction in Secondary markets. Overall, the markets that showed the greatest recovery were Las Vegas, San Jose, San Diego, Chicago, Miami, Phoenix, and Dallas.

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