The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is imploring staff, residents, and visitors to exercise extreme caution this holiday season. In addition, CMS is urging nursing home staff, residents, and visitors to follow the established guidelines for visitation and asks for strict adherence to the core principles of infection prevention. On September 17, 2020, CMS issued a memorandum on Nursing Home Visitation-COVID-19. This memorandum provided guidance for the Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Prevention. The principles include screening of all who enter the facility for signs and symptoms of COVID-19, with denial of entry for those with signs and symptoms; proper hand hygiene; and social distancing, along with other core principles of infection prevention. The memorandum can be accessed at https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-39-nh.pdf
CMS does acknowledge that some residents will want to temporarily leave the nursing home to visit family and friends for the holidays or other outings. A resident does have the right to leave the nursing home, and CMS urges that extra precautions be taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19. CMS is requesting that nursing homes double down on infection control and adhere to testing requirements.
Until a safe and effective vaccine is available, extra precautions should be taken to ensure that everyone stays healthy and safe. When a resident leaves a nursing home, it can increase their risk for exposure to COVID-19. The risk is greater with increased factors such as a resident’s health status, the level of COVID-19 in the community, or attendance at large gatherings. Nursing homes should educate residents and their families of the risks of leaving the facility, the steps they should take to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19, and encourage residents to stay connected with loved ones through alternate means of communication, including phone and video communications.
Issue
Failing to adhere to the Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Prevention can result in fines and penalties for placing residents in immediate jeopardy. This could be considered provision of substandard quality of care, in violation of state and federal regulations.
Discussion
- Review policies and procedures to ensure implementation of the Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Prevention and the effectiveness of the facility’s Infection Prevention and Control Plan.
- Train staff, residents, and visitors regarding the Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Prevention protocols in an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
- Periodically audit to ensure that the Core Principles of COVID-19 Infection Principles are being followed by staff, residents, and visitors.
