Category: COVID

SNF Claims Incorrectly Cancelled

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From January 26 through February 16, 2020, a software issue caused Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) claims to be incorrectly cancelled with a message that there was no three day qualifying hospital stay. This issue is corrected. If your claims were incorrectly cancelled, re-bill them in sequential order to receive payment.

Note:

  • Claims need to process in date of service order for each stay for the Variable Per Diem (VPD) to calculate correctly
  • Submit claims in sequence and wait at least 2 weeks before billing subsequent claims
  • Some of the affected claims with older dates of service will require a timely filing exception; enter “Resubmission due to non-qualifying stay” in the remarks field
  • This issue was not caused by the recent implementation of the SNF Patient Driven Payment Model
  • Contact your MAC to receive the Medicare Beneficiary Identifier (MBI) for deceased beneficiaries

MLN Matters Bulletin Revised 3-18 -20 Medicare FFS Respnose to COVID-19

Message from Pioneer Network

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Pioneer Network began 23 years ago when a group of committed, innovative and creative disruptors got together and began spreading the word that the world of aging, care and support needs to be focused on people and not the institution. They decided on the name Pioneer Network so all people and organizations of the same like-mind could be involved, disseminate best practices, share information and have a place to go when they needed resources and assistance.

During this challenging time we are facing with COVID-19, we are committed to continuing the work of our founders, being a resource as you navigate this changing world. To that end, we have been gathering resources from our fellow Pioneers on different ways to engage and connect residents and elders with their family, friends and communities. We empathize and want to support all the amazing team members working in care communities right now, so we are sharing everything we have received from our network. We know there is more happening so if you’re doing something you want included or know of other resources, please contact us and we’ll add them to the page.

This is the time for us to come together, as people, as organizations and most of all as a community. Thanks to all of you for the work you’re doing every day, for the care and support you’re providing to residents and elders and for your kindness, compassion and love.

 

Pioneer Network is proud to be part of a network of caring individuals who are, in the words of one of our founders, Barbara Frank, “sharing shamelessly” as they contribute to Pioneer Network’s latest set of resources, The ABCs of Combating Isolation.

Check out what has been shared so far and check back as we update the resources our partners continue to share with us.

 

With our conference scheduled for August 9 – 12, five months away, we are hopeful that the current threat related to COVID-19 will have subsided and that it will proceed as planned.

We will continue to monitor the situation especially as the early registration deadline of mid-May approaches and we will provide updates about the conference through email and on our website.

SLCR Guidance on Residents Leaving the Facility – Updated March 17, 2020 (Additions in red text)

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This is guidance from SLCR; it is not a mandate but rather provides facilities with an avenue to protect the health and safety of residents.

It is appropriate for facilities to ask residents not to leave the facility, unless for a necessary medical reason that cannot be addressed in the facility. For those insistent on taking residents out of the facility, SLCR recommends the following:

  • Only legally authorized persons may remove a resident from the facility. This may be a durable power of attorney for healthcare (if the DPOA has been enacted), a legal guardian or the resident themselves.
  • Before a resident leaves, the facility should follow the discharge regulations to the extent possible so that the resident receives appropriate care while away from the facility.
  • Upon leaving the facility, the resident, their legal representative and all those required by regulation should be given a written emergency discharge notice. It is imperative that the notice contain the required elements stated in regulation, including the reason for discharge (as permitted in regulation) and the location to which the resident is being discharged.
  • Those taking the resident out of the facility are to be informed that the resident will not be permitted to return until the restrictions currently in place are lifted. When appropriate, residents may be required to obtain clearance from their medical provider which may include proof of a negative COVID-19 screening.

For residents, primarily in RCFs and ALFs, who leave the facility on a frequent basis, the facility will need to determine at what point those outings pose a risk to the health and safety of the residents in the facility. This includes, but is not limited to, the location the resident is going, whether there are positive COVID-19 cases in the community, whether there is community transmission of the virus, etc. This guidance does not require facilities to issue an emergency discharge notice every time a resident leaves a facility. The resident and their legal guardian, when applicable, should discourage outings, attempt to meet the needs of residents without them leaving the facility, clearly communicate the expectations to residents (including any screening required upon return) and work together should the need arise to give an emergency discharge notice.  

PPE resource request for accessing state cache assets posted: Accepting requests Monday, March 16, 2020

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The resource requesting process for PPE in our state cache was posted to the DHSS website this at this link:

https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/professionals.php.

All resource requests must go through the respective healthcare coalition (maps and contact information are on the website). The healthcare coalition then submits to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services for review, approval and processing. All shipments will occur from Jefferson City and be sent via either Federal Express (FedEx) or United Parcel Service (UPS).

Visitation Guidance for Facilities

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Please see Department of Health and Senior Services guidance regarding visitation restrictions in all long term care facilities including residential care facilities, assisted living facilities, intermediate care facilities, skilled nursing facilities, and intermediate care facilities for persons with intellectual disabilities.

This guidance along with similar guidance from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services should be implemented immediately.

These documents will also be posted to the Department’s COVID-19 website at https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/ under the Health Care Professionals tab.

LTCF Webinar: Coronavirus Disease 2019

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This video includes information from the Department of Health and Senior Services regarding guidance and education surrounding COVID-19. The focus is on the basics of COVID-19 (symptoms, who is at most risk), the types of coronavirus, how long term care communities can prepare and testing protocols.

The LTCF Video is available at https://youtu.be/u-OZNQ3A-fs.

Please note information is changing rapidly so please check the Department’s COVID-19 website frequently for updated information.

Supporting Coronavirus Prevention in LTC Facilities

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Some LTC homes will make the difficult decision to limit and/or restrict entry of family and friends into their care settings. To help family and friends understand restrictions being put into place by many LTC providers, Consumer Voice, a national Ombudsman program resource, has put together a webpage: https://theconsumervoice.org/issues/other-issues-and-resources/covid-19.

News Release: Missouri opens novel coronavirus information hotline

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JEFFERSON CITY, MO –The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) activated a statewide public hotline for citizens or providers needing guidance regarding the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. At 8 a.m. today, the hotline opened and can be reached at 877-435-8411. The hotline is being operated by medical professionals and is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

“Communication is vital to our response to this rapidly-evolving situation,” said Dr. Randall Williams, director of DHSS. “For several weeks, our COVID-19 webpage has been and continues to be a great resource for the public, but having the hotline as an additional resource will likely be invaluable as citizens seek guidance for their concerns.”

To date, 46 patients in Missouri have been tested for the virus that causes COVID-19; one of those has tested positive.

“It is important to know what to do if you have concerns about an illness during this outbreak,” said Williams. “For those who may be at risk for COVID-19, we encourage them to utilize this hotline or call their health care provider or local public health agency to inform them of their travel history and symptoms. They’ll be instructed on how to receive care without exposing others to the possible illness.”

Simple preventive actions that help prevent the spread of all types of respiratory viruses include:

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol if soap and water are not available.

For more information, visit www.health.mo.gov/coronavirus or the CDC’s COVID-19 website.

# # #

Past Missouri COVID-19 news releases:

About the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services: The department seeks to be the leader in protecting health and keeping people safe. More information about DHSS can be found at http://health.mo.gov or find us on Facebook and Twitter @HealthyLivingMo

CMS Memo: QSO-20-17-ALL: Guidance for use of Certain Industrial Respirators by Health Care Personnel

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Guidance for use of Certain Industrial Respirators by Health Care Personnel

  • The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) CMS is committed to taking critical steps to ensure America’s health care facilities are prepared to respond to the threat of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other respiratory illnesses.
  • The memo clarifies the application of CMS policies in light of recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance expanding the types of facemasks healthcare workers may use in situations involving COVID-19 and other respiratory infections.

Please see the memo for further details.

 

For additional information, please visit the Department’s website at health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/. This site also contains a link specific to long-term care communities.

CMS Memo: QSO-20-14-NHL: Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in nursing homes (REVISED)

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Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in nursing homes (REVISED)

  • CMS is committed to taking critical steps to ensure America’s health care facilities and clinical laboratories are prepared to respond to the threat of the COVID-19.
  • Guidance for Infection Control and Prevention of COVID-19 – CMS is providing additional guidance to nursing homes to help them improve their infection control and prevention practices to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, including revised guidance for visitation.
  • Coordination with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and local public health departments – We encourage all nursing homes to monitor the CDC website for information and resources and contact their local health department when needed (CDC Resources for Health Care Facilities: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019- ncov/healthcare-facilities/index.html) .
  • Following the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) emergency use authorization (EUA) expanding the use of certain industrial respirators to health care personnel, CMS is clarifying that such use is appropriate in Medicare/Medicaid certified providers and suppliers.

 Please see the memo for further details.

For additional information, please visit the Department’s website at https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/.

DHSS Long-Term Care COVID-19 Webinar

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DHSS Long Term Care COVID-19 Webinar

Monday, March 9, 2020 10:00 am

Representatives from the Department of Health and Senior Services will be hosting a webinar to provide information, guidance and education surrounding COVID-19. The webinar will focus on the basics of COVID-19 (symptoms, who is at most risk), the types of coronavirus, how long term care communities can prepare, testing protocols and coordination with healthcare coalitions.

Please join us for this important webinar.

Webex Event Registration
https://stateofmo.webex.com/stateofmo/onstage/g.php?MTID=eacb119d9cc214df93ea6e8e3e4c294fb.
After registration, you will receive a confirmation email with further instructions including the webinar link.

If you prefer to join via audio conference:
Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-650-479-3207
Event number (access code): 801 063 245

For additional information, please visit the Department’s website at https://health.mo.gov/living/healthcondiseases/communicable/novel-coronavirus/. This site also contains a link specific to long-term care communities.

CMS Memo: QSO-20-09-ALL

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Information for Healthcare Facilities Concerning 2019 Novel Coronavirus Illness (2019-nCoV)

  • Information Regarding Patients with Possible Coronavirus Illness: the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued information on the respiratory illness caused by the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV). Links to these documents are provided.
  • Healthcare Facility Expectations: CMS strongly urges the review of CDC’s guidance and encourages facilities to review their own infection prevention and control policies and practices to prevent the spread of infection.

Please see the full memo download at www.cms.gov/medicareprovider-enrollment-and-certificationsurveycertificationgeninfopolicy-and-memos-states-and/information-healthcare-facilities-concerning-2019-novel-coronavirus-illness-2019-ncov.

Questions about this memorandum should be addressed to QSOG_EmergencyPrep@cms.hhs.gov.

Questions about the 2019-nCoV guidance/screening criteria should be addressed to the State Epidemiologist or other responsible state or local public health officials in your state.

Coronavirus Update

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As you are likely aware, the response to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) outbreak is rapidly evolving. On January 18, 2020, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) disseminated a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Health Update on this outbreak. The CDC Health Update includes recommendations for health care providers pertaining to 2019-nCoV (https://health.mo.gov/emergencies/ert/alertsadvisories/pdf/cdc-update1-17-20.pdf). The specific topics covered include patient evaluation, reporting, specimen collection, testing, and recommendations for infection control.

For the most up-to-date information regarding the outbreak of 2019-nCoV, please continue to check the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html). Please be aware that guidance for health care and public health professionals is subject to change, and that updated guidance will be disseminated through the CDC website and the Missouri Health Alert Network (HAN). All HAN documents are archived and available on the DHSS website at: https://health.mo.gov/emergencies/ert/alertsadvisories/index.php.