TESTING
What Will New CMS Guidance to Determine Testing Frequency Mean for Kansas Nursing Homes?
Tuesday evening CMS sent out a press release. Here’s the peanut:
- Counties with 20 or fewer tests over 14 days will now move to “green” in the color-coded system of assessing COVID-19 community prevalence.
- Counties with both fewer than 500 tests and fewer than 2,000 tests per 100,000 residents, and greater than 10 percent positivity over 14 days – which would have been “red” under the previous methodology – will move to “yellow.”
LeadingAge Kansas is advocating for incorporation of the new CMS testing frequency information into KDADS testing frequency requirements (issued September 23rd.) This will address the problem of driving testing frequency up in counties where relatively few tests are done in a reporting period. This adjustment can make a significant difference in terms of labor and hard costs for nursing homes that would be impacted, without violating the principle of testing or harming public health.
We have been informed by state officials that they are in dialogue about this issue and are considering appropriate changes. No official change has been adopted as of this writing. We will keep you informed.
Testing Q & A
Q. I heard that the place we are to check for our county positivity rate has changed. What’s the deal?
A. Yes, Nursing Home staff testing frequency must now be based on KDHE county positivity rates. The testing county positivity rates can be found under the “School Gating Metrics). Questions should be sent to KDADS_reopening@ks.gov. A FAQ document about testing is posted to the KDADS website. KDADS released a new memo on September 24th requiring this.
Tips for Nursing Home Providers That Have Not Received Antigen Testing Machine
- Attach CLIA Waiver to your email to dnh_triageteam@cms.hhs.gov
- Another email address that a member had luck with is LabExcellence@cms.hhs.gov
- Machines will not be delivered to PO Boxes, If your address contains an PO Box make sure to communicate the street address only
- One member thought they didn’t have it. Got to checking around, and it had been received and stashed away by a staff member unbeknownst to them
- Send me debra@leadingagekansas.org tips/breakthrough strategies that could be helpful to others who are still waiting
STATE NEWS
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) Business PPE Stopgap program provides PPE to businesses experiencing delays in purchased equipment. More info here.
LEADINGAGE KANSAS
Join Us this Week for Our Weekly Webinar – Special Guest: Deputy Secretary Scott Bruner
Deputy Secretary Scott Bruner will join us for our weekly webinar this week. We will also go over all of the other hot topics surrounding our field on the call.
Here is the link to register and we look forward to seeing you all on Friday.
Have a topic recommendation or an idea for a poll? Let us know.
