COVID-19 UPDATE #273

November 17, 2022

To remain in compliance with the Nurse Aide 1135 waiver, Washington State is required to provide monthly reports to CMS. As a part of the report process, the state needs to compile information from each CMS-certified nursing home. DSHS ALTSA is requesting your assistance in this process by completing this 3 question survey. If we are unable to provide the requested information to CMS, Washington state may lose this critically important 1135 waiver and the ability to allow NARs to continue working in a nursing home beyond four months while they complete the certification process. This survey is for skilled nursing facilities only. 

The Washington State Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) Residential Care Services (RCS) Rapid Response Team is still operating to provide short-term staffing support. This service did not end with the recent proclamations. The team continues to staff facilities and providers statewide with Licensed Practical Nurses and Nursing Assistants.

The Dear Administrator letter dated September 2, 2021, provides the Rapid Response Request Form that providers can use to request short term staffing. Please submit your requests to the department through rapidresponse@dshs.wa.gov. Staffing support continues to have three priorities:

• Patient Admissions
• COVID-19
• Urgent Staffing

For questions, email Bett Schlemmer or call at (360) 725-2404.

In a Dear Administrator letter dated November 16, 2022, nursing home administrators are provided additional information about the release of QSO-23-02-ALL by CMS on October 26, 2022. CMS is replacing QSO memoranda 22-07-ALL Revised, 22-09-ALL Revised, and 22-11-ALL Revised, and is revising the interpretive guidance for Long-Term Care and Skilled Nursing Facility found in Attachment A of QSO-23-02-ALL F888. The revisions address frequency of review of the Staff Vaccination requirements, as well as Immediate Jeopardy, Condition-level and actual harm determinations to ensure that deficiency citations recognize good faith efforts by providers/suppliers.

If you have any questions, please email Molly McClintock, Nursing Home Policy Program Manager, or call at (360)742-6966.

The Department of Health (DOH) Occupational Health Team will host monthly, 30-minute sessions on various respiratory protection program specific topics. Each session will start at noon on Zoom. Upcoming topics include: 

• December 21, 2022 – Recordkeeping
• January 18, 2023 – Fit Testing Tips 

To learn more, click here. To register, click here.

In a November update, the DOH, Healthcare Associated Infections and Antibiotic Resistance (HAIAR) reminds providers of the DOH resources that can be found on their website for healthcare facilities, including acute care hospitals, long term care, residential care facilities, and other settings where healthcare is being administered during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the vulnerable nature of patients, the risk of exposure to healthcare workers, and the congregate nature of long term care facilities, guidance for healthcare settings is often different from that of the general public. Visit the DOH Infection Prevention page and the Washington State Coronavirus Response page for more information. 

The CDC’s What’s New & Updated tool is a helpful way to stay up to date with new and updated content on CDC’s COVID-19 webpages. Users can filter by date, webpage type, audience, and topic. To subscribe to the HAIAR newsletters, click here.

In a Dear Administrator letter dated November 16, 2022, DSHS invites nursing home administrators and interested staff to participate in a webinar regarding the Pre-Admission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) process, with a special focus on PASRR processes during the COVID-19 public health emergency. The webinar will be offered on December 12, from 1:30 - 3 PM, and December 13, from 9 - 10:30 AM.

There will be an opportunity for questions and answers regarding PASRR during the webinar. If you cannot attend on either date, the webinar will be available on the Developmental Disabilities Administration (DDA) website a few days after the webinar. Continuing education credits will not be issued. Additional information about the PASRR process can also be found at the Health Care Authority PASRR website or the DDA PASRR website. If you have any questions, please email Molly McClintock, Nursing Home Policy Program Manager, or call at (360)742-6966.