March 23, 2020
Looking for PPE? The following businesses use N95 masks and other important personal protective equipment (PPE):
- Auto body shops
- Cleaning companies
- Hardware stores and tool retailers
- Landscapers
- Manufacturing plants and factories
- Nail salons
- Painters and more
Why not assign a team member to contact some of these businesses in your local area? OHCA members tell us that by making some targeted calls, donations of PPE are coming in.
Also relative to PPE, the Department of Health released their latest Survey Monkey for providers to report shortages, with responses due tomorrow.
Pandemic child care. Yesterday, Governor Mike DeWine said child day-care centers would be ordered to close Thursday and directed employees in essential businesses such as health care to newly-licensed pandemic child care centers instead. Most of these centers are existing licensees that will change to the new designation. Click here for a frequently-updated list of approved pandemic centers, by county, with their contact information. In his press conference today, the Governor said children of health care workers get top priority for placing their children in the pandemic centers.
CMS issues new survey guidance. In a new Quality, Safety, and Oversight (QSO) letter 20-20-All, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) confirmed they have suspended all certification surveys except investigation of complaints alleging immediate jeopardy, targeted infection control surveys, and initial surveys. Specifically covered by the suspension are standard surveys and revisits not related to immediate jeopardies. The suspension applies to SNFs, ICFs/IID, home health agencies, and hospices. Because revisits will not be done, CMS suspended all enforcement actions other than for immediate jeopardies. The QSO also contains an infection control checklist that will be used for targeted infection control surveys and can be used by providers for self-assessment. The 28-pge QSO includes a considerable amount of other material. We recommend all certified providers review it carefully.
Latest DODD announcements. The Department of Developmental Disabilities (DODD) extended provider certifications due in March, April, or May 2020 for 90 days. See their guidance on certification extensions for additional information. Also in today’s Memo Monday, DODD announced that the deadline for responding to the National Core Indicators Staff Stability Survey is extended to June 30, 2020.
Free COVID-19 webinar series for home care and hospice. NAHC is offering a six-part virtual town hall on COVID-19, including audience questions, starting this Friday, March 27, at 1:00 p.m. This program is free to both NAHC members and non-members and will be available live and as a recording. Use this link to register.
BELTSS waives continuing education requirements. The Board of Executives of Long-Term Services and Supports today waived the continuing education requirements for the April 1 and July 1, 2020, renewals. The board also will allow administrators to earn all necessary credit hours for renewals through December 31, 2020, through online learning or self-study. Please note that the requirements to file renewal applications and pay renewal fees are not waived for any periods, only the continuing education requirements.
In another BELTSS-related matter, OHCA urges members to continue hosting administrators in training. These up-and-coming professionals can helpful with the added workload involved in responding to COVID-19.