Category: Infection Control & Prevention

CMS Memo: QSO-20-11-NH

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Release of Additional Toolkits to Ensure Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is announcing the release of two toolkits that align with the CMS strategic initiative to Ensure Safety and Quality in Nursing Homes.

  • Developing a Restful Environment Action Manual (DREAM) Toolkit – CMS has created a toolkit that offers education and person-centered, practical interventions that nursing home administrators, directors of nursing, and bedside staff can implement to promote high-quality sleep for residents living with dementia.
  • Head-to-Toe Infection Prevention (H2T) Toolkit – CMS has created a toolkit that offers educational materials and practical interventions for bedside staff designed to prevent common infections by improving activities of daily living (ADL) care.

Please see the full memo download at www.cms.gov/httpswwwcmsgovmedicareprovider-enrollment-and-certificationsurveycertificationgeninfopolicy-and/release-additional-toolkits-ensure-safety-and-quality-nursing-homes.

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.

New QIPMO Newsletter – February 2020

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The Quality Improvement Program for Missouri (QIPMO) has published MDS Tips and Clinical Pearls – Volume 7, Issue 2.

In this issue:

  • When to Re-evaluate PASRR
  • Our Changing Long-Term Care Population
  • A Skin Cornerstone: The Admission Skin Assessment
  • Infection Control Preventionist
  • Dialysis Doesn’t Just Affect the Kidneys

Please visit QIPMO’s website here for this and other previous newsletters.

Medicare Learning Network’s Event

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March 3, 2020: Dementia Care: CMS Toolkits Call
Speakers: Cathleen Lawrence, CMS; Michele Laughman, CMS; Sheila Hanns, CMS; and Dara Graham, CMS
Target Audience: Consumer and advocacy groups; nursing home providers; surveyor community; prescribers; professional associations; and other interested stakeholders

National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care and Quality Assurance Performance Improvement

During this call, learn about new CMS toolkits for nursing homes:

  • Head-to-Toe Infection Prevention: Easy to access best practices for direct care staff to prevent infections before they occur.
  • Developing a Restful Environment Action Manual: Non-pharmacological approach to improve the quality of life and quality of care for residents living with dementia.
  • Staffing Toolkits: Staff Competency Assessment, Employee Satisfaction Survey, and Guide to Improving Employee Satisfaction.

Additionally, CMS provides updates on the progress of the National Partnership to Improve Dementia Care in Nursing Homes. A question and answer session follows the presentations.

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.

MANHA – Infection Preventionist Boot Camp

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February 4-5, 2020: Infection Preventionist Boot Camp
Location: Harrah’s Casino & Hotel, North Kansas City

You have been named the Infection Preventionist for your facility. You have completed your certification for the IP but still aren’t sure where to start or how to go about doing the job with confidence. We are here to give you the confidence you need! Bring your laptop and your infection control policy and procedures and leave with assurance that you and your facility are where they need to be with IPCP and all its requirements.

We will review the CMS 23-hour training as the core to IPCP development and review your IPCP and its accompanying policy and procedures to improve your confidence. We’ll build your personal library of resource material, develop your tracking logs and QAPI communication tools and finally we will create a schedule of routine tasks for you to adhere to for purposes of maintaining compliances.