Coronavirus Update #22
SNF Bed Capacity Survey, Recap of Call with Senator Cardin
SNF Bed Capacity Inventory Survey

  • NYC is in the beginning of the acute care surge and is seeing large exponential growth in the known cases of COVID-19.

  • In talking with our acute care partners over the weekend, our sense is that Maryland is in the early days of our acute care surge.

  • As we advised post-acute providers last week, Maryland post-acute providers can accept hard to place non-Covid-19 hospital transfers now in order to help free-up acute care in hospitals for COVID-19 patients.

  • Hard to place patients include those who have high drug costs that are paid for in hospitals, but not in SNFs. We will continue to work with AHCA/NCAL, with our Congressional Delegation, and with the Hogan team for CMS regulatory and financial relief on this front.

  • No decisions yet. But in advance of the acute care surge associated with COVID-19, it is important that we inventory SNF capacity to take non-COVID-19 med/surg patients to free-up acute care space. 

Please complete this SNF bed capacity survey ASAP. Note that this survey should be completed once per center ; please make sure the appropriate person on your team completes the survey.

  • For the future, plan now: we strongly urge SNFs to begin now creating separate wings, units, or floors by moving current residents to handle future full surge admissions from the hospitals and keep current residents separate, if possible.

Thank you so much for all you and your teams are doing! Onward together. Stay well and safe!
HFAM Call with Senator Cardin

At the request of AHCA/NCAL, HFAM had a phone conversation with U.S. Senator Ben Cardin this morning to discuss the current COVID-19 pandemic and the impacts it is having on our sector.

We briefed the Senator in how skilled nursing and rehabilitation centers have been preparing and continue to take action in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. We also discussed in detail our sector's financial and regulatory concerns, the current stimulus package, PPE and testing shortages, staffing and childcare challenges, and other operational difficulties.

Senator Cardin and his team are expertly leading during these unprecedented times. The Senator remains fully engaged on all fronts of this pandemic and will continue to remain a strong and critical partner moving forward.
Reminder: HFAM & Hospital Partner Call - Tomorrow at 4:00 PM

Along with the Maryland Hospital Association (MHA), the University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS), Johns Hopkins Medicine, LifeBridge, and other hospital partners, HFAM will be hosting our second call to connect our sectors. HFAM will invite broadly and work with partners and other associations to make all post-acute providers aware of this call.

The purpose of that call will be to discuss topics of mutual interest such as transfers between hospitals and post-acute facilities, telehealth, and any other priorities amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

This call will take place Monday, March 23 at 4:00 PM EST
 
Dial-in: +1-415-655-0001
Passcode: 316 561 900 #
Did you miss HFAM's previous alerts?

Visit our website to view all previous HFAM alerts, as well as guidance
from our federal and state partners.
Please email [email protected] for additional questions, and visit
www.ahcancal.org/coronavirus for additional information and resources.
Thank you.

We cannot thank you enough for the dedication and diligence in doing all that you can for the residents in your communities. HFAM continues to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic with our state and national partners and will do all we can to support you during this time.