04/14/2022
ODH clarifies vaccination for contracted staff, nurse aide waiver
This week, LeadingAge Ohio met with the Ohio Department of Health *(ODH) Bureau of Survey & Certification and Regulatory Affairs to address outstanding questions and learn survey trends.
- Survey backlog. ODH has submitted a plan to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to reduce the current backlog of nursing facility recertification surveys. There are currently 666 nursing homes and 340 residential care facilities whose last annual survey was greater than 15.9 months ago.
- Vaccines & contracted staff. ODH received confirmation from CMS that the staff vaccine matrix no longer needs to include contracted staff. Surveyors will ask for a random sample of contracted staff to verify compliance with the vaccine mandate.
- Mask protocols. ODH confirmed that when a facility has COVID-19 positive residents, then all staff do not need to be in an N95 mask. Staff caring for residents in a quarantine unit or isolation unit do need to wear an N95. Staff that are not working with residents in quarantine or isolation can be in a procedure mask. Facilities should establish policies in accordance with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance.
- Screening. Self-screening is an acceptable practice. ODH noted that they would evaluate the effectiveness of the process and encourage facilities to monitor the logs for compliance.
- Temporary nurse aide waiver. ODH affirmed that providers have until four months following the end of the temporary nurse aide (TNA) waiver on June 7 to get all TNAs tested. However, they also recognized that testing facilities may be overwhelmed and providers may find challenges in scheduling testing. In alignment with memo QSO-22-15-NH & NLTC & LSC ODH will be looking for a “good faith effort” to get staff signed up to be tested.
LeadingAge Ohio meets with the ODH team twice monthly, and always welcomes member questions to be elevated. To submit a question, email COVID19@leadingageohio.org.