01/20/2021

Today's COVID-19 Report: Monday, January 25, 2021

Monday, January 25, 2021

Here are the latest need-to-know updates for Monday, January 25 regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and other topics of importance.

A REMINDER TO ALL MEMBERS

Check LeadingAge's FAQs and Resources on COVID-19 Vaccines and Issues Surrounding Vaccinations frequently. The most recent update includes Q&A on implications of mandating the vaccine for staff.

The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has released a preliminary toolkit that has been developed with talking points, language tips, social media language, and trusted resources to help providers better communicate information regarding the COVID-19 vaccines. 

In Today's Report

• All-Member Q&A Webinar - TOMORROW at 11:30AM
• MDS Exception review question and answer from ODM
  
• Public health emergency extended through end of the year?
• Project Echo opportunity continues: Not too late to register
• Project Greenlight launched
• Friends of Wii bowling... time for fun!
• LeadingAge Need to Know

All-Member Q&A Webinar - TOMORROW at 11:30AM

Tomorrow's All-Member Q&A will provide an overview of what we know—and what we don’t know—about Ohio’s plans to loosen visitation restriction as vaccination rates climb. While we await revised guidance from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services on nursing facility visitation, this call will provide current information regarding the vaccine rollout and its implications and provide the opportunity for Q&A on any topic of interest.

Registration is required, but there is no fee to participate.

MDS Exception review question and answer

The Ohio Department of Medicaid (ODM) was recently asked, "Are MDS Exception reviews using the dates shown on nurse's notes, or are exact dates required for every entry?"

Mark Graves, External Audit Manager with ODM Long-Term Care and State Agency Audits, responded that an Assessment Reference Date (ARD) is the end point for a given observation period (seven days, 14 days, etc), and is the date relied upon. When documentation such as nursing notes are reviewed and an ARD is referenced, the note will be accepted by the reviewer. ODM’s vendor looks for this date in multiple locations within the facility’s documentation.

Public health emergency extended through end of the year?

Governors across the nation received a letter on Friday sent by Acting Secretary of The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS). The letter states the Public Health Emergency (PHE) is likely to be extended until the end of the calendar year - including the 6.2% Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) bump for Medicaid.

Complete details of the letter are available here.

Project Echo opportunity continues: Not too late to register

It is not too late to join the AHRQ Project ECHO series associated with both the Provider Relief fund payment and Nursing Home Administrator series.

If members have registered with the training center but were unable to complete the series, that member does not need to start the process all over again with the new series starting in February. The program has a robust panel of subject matter experts this week and in the coming weeks and has a make-up process that is intended to facilitate participation. The upcoming slate of subject matter experts includes pharmacists, geriatrician/national palliative care experts, and person-centered care resiliency experts.

To join beginning this week, please email Stephanie DeWees at sdewees@leadingageohio.org for a registration link. As a reminder, the Project ECHO program requires two attendees from each organization. Both individuals can join the same cohort, or different cohorts. The same person does not have attend each session or do the make-ups, however each person attending should register with their own email address. Multiple registrants can use the same link to register.

Project Greenlight launched

The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) is launching “project greenlight” (the initiative name may change) which is a quality check on the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) data. Facilities may get a call from an HHS call center, most likely identifying themselves as the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), or from the state if they meet the following criteria:

• Entered into the NHSN that the facility is experiencing a small outbreak (between 1-9 cases); and
• Entered into the NHSN that the facility is experiencing a shortage of staff, testing, or supplies.

These calls are not scams, and regulators will be asking these facilities to verify the data – both the outbreak data and the shortage data. It is a quality check on the NHSN data. It does not mean that resources will be sent and there is no indication that this is in any way related to whether a facility will get a survey. LeadingAge is working to obtain additional information and will provide an update in future COVID-19 Reports.

Friends of Wii bowling... time for fun!

The National Senior League (NSL) will be managing season 11 of the Senior Wii Bowling Championships starting the week of February 15.

The NSL has asked LeadingAge Ohio to forward this invitation to members in hopes of encouraging resident participation in this season’s championships. The NSL has had many coaches say how thankful they and their Wii bowlers were last season for having the opportunity to do something fun in spite of COVID-19. Wii bowlers can easily keep social distanced and wear masks as they bowl as a team or teams. The bowlers love to bowl; they only need the opportunity from leaders in the community to do so.

Registration and additional information is now available on the NSL website or by calling Dennis Berkholtz at 435-714-9491

LeadingAge Need to Know: COVID-19 – January 25, 2021

LeadingAge shares the latest coronavirus news and resources with members twice each weekday. This morning's update featured information on this coming Wednesday's National LeadingAge Policy Action Forum and the Call for Sessions deadline... which is TODAY!

Check out the full report here.

Questions

Please send all questions to COVID19@leadingageohio.org. Additionally, members are encouraged to visit the LeadingAge Ohio COVID-19 Working Group facebook group to pose questions to peers and share best practices. LeadingAge is continuing its daily calls for all members.  To participate in these daily online updates, members should register here.  

LeadingAge Ohio is working to ensure that the information in our daily alerts, on our website, and all coronavirus-related communications is as accurate as possible. However, LeadingAge Ohio makes no guarantees about the accuracy of the information.