More on the DODD Budget. Earlier this evening, the Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) held a stakeholder meeting to review their State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2022-2023 budget initiatives. While the highlights don’t differ from what we reported yesterday, Director Jeff Davis and his team responded to questions, which brought a little more clarity to the picture. The Executive Budget proposal will maintain current waiver rates, including the January 2021 homemaker/personal care (HPC) rate increase. While DODD’s budget announcement states that ICF rates also will be maintained, DODD’s Clay Weidner said the budgeted amount for ICF services uses the current data for rates, beds, vacancies, etc., but the language in the budget bill will be vague on how to reach this goal. DODD committed to working with stakeholders to determine the best approach to do so.
The additional $10.5 million for multisystem youth (MSY) is an increase from the SFY 2020-2021 budget, not from actual spending, and DODD has several initiatives in the works in this area. Director Davis also mentioned an effort by the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (OMHAS) to develop programs for multisystem adults. In addition, the DODD budget contains a one-time, $1 million investment for technology to assist people with disabilities. While the budget language is not available yet, Director Davis stated DODD is not proposing any other significant regulatory or statutory changes for DD services. OHCA will continue to update members as the budget works its way through the legislative process.
Monoclonal Antibodies Webinar. Today the Department of Health (ODH) circulated via the Enhanced Information Dissemination and Collection system (EIDC) an invitation to a webinar entitled, "Considerations for Monoclonal Antibody Usage," produced by the Ohio Hospital Association (OHA). The hour-long webinar is scheduled for noon on Monday, February 8, and will feature physicians from Ohio State University and University Hospitals of Cleveland. Please use this link at the appointed hour to join the webinar. OHA asks that each participating location limit attendance to two people. See this flyer for more.
FDA Revises Instructions to Shorten mAbs Administration Time. Recently, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized revised preparation and administration instructions in the Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers for bamlanivimab alone, a monoclonal antibody treatment (mAb). These changes include shortened infusion times, ranging from 16-60 minutes, depending on the size of IV bag used. These changes were made in response to feedback received from front-line healthcare professionals administering these infusions and are aimed at reducing the burden on the healthcare system. The table below summarizes the updated infusion timeframes:
Drug: Add 20 mL of bamlanivimab (1 vial) to a prefilled infusion bag and administer as instructed below |
Size of prefilled 0.9%
Sodium Chloride infusion bag | Maximum Infusion Rate | Minimum Infusion Time |
50 mL | 270 mL/hr | 16 minutes |
100 mL | 270 mL/hr | 27 minutes |
150 mL | 270 mL/hr | 38 minutes |
250 mL | 270 mL/hr | 60 minutes |
To learn more about mAbs, join the Health and Human Services (HHS)/Assistant Secretary for Preparedness Response (ASPR) Outpatient Therapeutics Mini-Series on Managing Infusion Reactions with Monoclonal Antibody Treatments tomorrow at 12:00 p.m.
More on SNF Bed Buy-Back Proposal. In comments reported in Gongwer News Service Ohio Report, State Medicaid Director (ODM) Maureen Corcoran and Deputy Patrick Beatty elaborated somewhat on the SNF bed buy-back program announced yesterday as part of the Executive Budget. The proposal would allocate a one-time sum of $50 million in SFY 2022 to ODH to purchase unused beds from SNFs. The article quotes the ODM officials as pointing out that before COVID-19, there were 11,000 excess SNF beds in Ohio, and adds:
The state would pay about $10,000 per bed, meaning the program could cover up to about 5,000 beds, the director said. That would address about half of the state's excess capacity. Payment would be determined by the administration as the program is fleshed out, with some performance incentives possible.
As for the purpose of the program, the article quotes Director Corcoran as saying providers could use the money "to establish more single rooms or put it back into revamping other or more common, shared space," noting that private rooms are better for infection control.
Governor's Release on Vaccinations in SNFs and Assisted Living. In his press conference today, Governor DeWine addressed vaccinations in long-term care facilities. A portion of his comments were summarized in a subsequent release as follows:
- Of Ohio's 920 skilled nursing facilities, Ohio has administered first doses of vaccine in 100 percent of these facilities. The second dose has been given in 89 percent of facilities.
- Of Ohio's 645 assisted living facilities, Ohio has administered first doses in 86 percent of these facilities, and second doses have been administered in 48 percent of facilities.
- Plans are in place to continue vaccinating in these facilities as new residents move in.
While the final note about plans being in place is heartening, the state has not shared details or the timetable for these plans.
AMDA Vaccination Statement. AMDA the Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine issued a statement of their positions on three current issues relating to the COVID-19 vaccination program in long-term care facilities. While the statement itself provides additional explanation, the positions are summarized in these three headings:
- AMDA recommends that the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine be administered to short-stay and rehabilitation residents while they are in the nursing home.
- AMDA recommends COVID-19 vaccine distribution and administration that continues to prioritize residents and healthcare workers in post-acute and long-term care facilities.
- AMDA urges directives from state and federal governments that reduce barriers to COVID-19 vaccinations.
The second bullet point speaks to the state's as-yet-unannounced plan for vaccinations after the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care. While the explanation of the third bullet does not specifically list it, Ohio's decision to prohibit first shots at the third clinic is a barrier to vaccinations.
More Updates to PRF FAQs. Like clockwork, HHS continues to update the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) frequently-asked questions (FAQs). While the updates do not address last week's SNF Quality Incentive Program payments for November or Phase 3 payments, there are a few changes on treatment of related entities and a question on using budgeted revenue for the revenue loss comparison. Please see AHCA/NCAL's explanation of the updates for more.
Fraud Reported with 3M Masks and Respirators. We understand 3M has received increasing reports of fraud related to the following three 3M respirator models:
- 3M™ Health Care Particulate Respirator and Surgical Mask 1860;
- 3M™ Health Care Particulate Respirator and Surgical Mask 1860S; and
- 3M™ Aura™ Health Care Particulate Respirator and Surgical Mask 1870+.
If your organization has any of these respirator models in your inventory, please see the 3M Customer Letter for more information.