TESTING

More information on BinaxNOW Cards
In case you missed it, a recent LeadingAge Coronavirus Call featured Admiral Brett Giroir, Assistant Secretary for Health and the Administration’s Coronavirus testing lead. He had some great insights for our members and the recording of the call can be accessed here. Among other highlights, he said that Binax tests are going out weekly to nursing homes and assisted living communities that have CLIA waivers and are in red (and some yellow) zones. If a provider meets those two criteria and has not received Binax test cards, they can email HHSbinax@HHS.gov. It’s likely the inbox will have/receive a lot of traffic.  

Register for BD Veritor Batch Testing Training 
Please join representatives from Becton Dickinson(BD) for a second session on the point of care (POC) antigen testing machine, Veritor.  The session will be held Thursday, October 8th at 2:00pm CST.  You will learn about the Veritor and advanced usage in batching. Register for the training here

Home Health and Hospice distribution of Binax Cards:  Please respond to this survey.  We sent an email today to home health and hospice members with a survey asking for information requested by HHS in order to assist with the distribution of Abbott BinaxNOW testing cards to these provider types. Please ask your home health and hospice members to complete the survey by Friday October 9. Completion of the survey does not guarantee that an agency will receive the Abbott BinaxNOW cards. But the more we can help HHS gather what they need, the more likely providers will fare well.

LEADINGAGE KANSAS

No Weekly Webinar This Week Because of Our Fall Conference
Here is the link to register for the October 16th Weekly Webinar.

Have a topic recommendation or an idea for a poll? Let us know. 

STATE NEWS

CMP Funds for Visitation
KDADS recognizes that visitor restrictions may be difficult for residents and families for all adult care home types. To help residents stay connected, KDADS has secured funds to purchase tents and plexiglass that will enable residents to visit with family and friends. Facilities may submit a request for up to $750 for assistance with purchasing tents and plexiglass.

Adult Care Homes interested in participating in the tents and plexigass grant program are asked to submit a completed ACH Visitation Application to covid.cmp@ks.gov. The application can be found here.

Please note that federally certified nursing homes are not eligible for this grant program as they are eligible for the CMP grant program.

FEDERAL NEWS

NHSN Security Upgrade
Have you upgraded your security level in NHSN yet? When nursing homes first began reporting to CDC through NHSN back in the spring, many opted for the expedited enrollment process that gave them access at the Level I and did not require a SAMS grid card. In late summer, CDC began encouraging nursing homes to upgrade to Level III, which requires the SAMS grid card, in order to be able to report patient-level data, such as COVID-19 test results.

We encourage everyone to get to work on this upgrade. You can find instructions on the NHSN site here. Your QIO may also be able to help. We note that this process will take a few weeks from start to finish. During this time, you will still have access to NHSN at Level I to continue reporting COVID-19 data per regulation.

CDC Update on TransmissionCDC has updated guidance on transmission of COVID-19 to include airborne transmission. Airborne transmission means virus hangs in the air for minutes or even hours and can infect people further than 6 feet away or after the infected person has left the area. Evidence indicates that when airborne transmission has occurred, it has been in enclosed spaces with inadequate ventilation. Airborne transmission is uncommon; close contact is still the most common source of spread of COVID-19. Nonetheless, this new information highlights the importance of adequate ventilation and source control (masking of nose and mouth, social distancing). Here are 4 things providers can do:

  • Stress the importance of masks and social distancing with residents/patients, staff, and visitors
  • Talk with your building engineer about ventilation
  • Bring in fresh outdoor air as much as possible
  • Allow ample time before entering spaces for cleaning and turn-over. Check out this CDC guide on air changes/hour for airborne contaminant removal

Provider Relief Phase 3 Application 
The application process for Phase 3 is now open and will remain open until 10:59PM CST Nov. 6. Phase 3 is open to all providers who have applied before and received a full 2% General Distribution, in addition to all other previously eligible providers.There are two newly eligible groups for this application: 1) behavioral health providers including those who are exclusively private pay and/or accept commercial insurance, and 2) providers who opened/began delivering care in the first quarter of 2020.  roviders are encouraged to apply early as the distribution process is also different this time with a two-step process. The first step will be to review applicants to ensure they receive a full 2% payment in combination with any prior general distribution payments received. After that, HHS will seek to “calculate an equitable add-on payment” for providers demonstrating a continuing need for funds. All providers seeking funds in Phase 3 must submit an application and this application will require providers to submit additional information to support their financial losses and increased expenditures due to the coronavirus. We are still waiting for further information about HHS webinars that will provide additional instruction about the application process. This Phase 3 Primer pulls together all the new information from the HHS website regarding the Phase 3 application.

Accelerated and Advance Payment Payback Extended
The continuing resolution (CR) that Congress passed last week contained updated terms for the Accelerated and Advance Payment Program. Without the additional time and the different terms included in the CR, providers who received these payments would have been required to pay them off beginning 120 days after the payment was made, with interest beginning to accrue at 210 days.  The new provisions delay the repayment period to a year after the initial payment. This article provides detailed information on the changes made to the program in the CR.

LEADINGAGE NATIONAL UPDATE

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