Coronavirus Update #34
Updates, Reminders, and Nurse Aide Training
Updates and Reminders

Now that we are in the expansion period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus is entering our centers.  Some important reminders:

  • Please continue to proactively overcommunicate with staff, residents, patients and families about COVID-19 and the steps you are taking.

  • With COVID-19 in your center, you will go through PPE more quickly. 


  • If you have a COVID-19 case, Medline will send you a special augmented shipment of PPE, as long as supplies last. Please just ask your sales representative.

  • We continue to work on workforce licensure relief. Please click here see our joint letter with LeadingAge Maryland and LifeSpan to CMS on workforce licensure relief. We have also asked the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) to approve abbreviated and virtual training for nursing assistants and AHCA/NCAL has stood up such a training (more on the AHCA/NCAL training below).

  • Please review again and share with staff this case study that we originally distributed on March 25. It is an important read considering the phase of the COVID-19 pandemic that we are now in

  • It is critically important that Maryland post-acute providers accept hard to place non-COVID-19 hospital transfers now in order to help free-up acute care in hospitals for COVID-19 patients.

  • It is a MUST that SNFs now create separate wings, units, or floors by moving current residents to handle admissions from the hospitals, and to keep current residents separate, if possible. We have asked the state for a waiver of the 30-day involuntary discharge rule to accommodate the clinically prudent separation of patients and residents.

  • The increasing full admissions bans associated with single or isolated COVID-19 outbreak in our centers could result in a post-acute care capacity emergency coming at the worst possible time with the acute care hospital surge. There are no simple answers to this. As we said yesterday: Based on best case emerging public policy, our sector’s sweet spot to reduce risk and limit spread to our patients, residents, and staff, to assist in managing the care surge, and to help navigate the toughest days ahead, may be to create COVID-19 SNFs.

It’s a NEW DAY, continue to do great things, one little step at a time.
Temporary Nurse Aide Training & Competency Checklist 

As AHCA/NCAL shared in Update #26 recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a blanket waiver that includes an allowance for nursing centers to temporarily employ individuals who have completed alternative training paths, as long as they are competent to provide relevant nursing and nursing related services. 

Along with AHCA/NCAL, we have have been advocating for CMS to issue such a waiver to assist in addressing staffing shortages due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is now allowed on the federal level. State approvals, such as state occupational licensing and state regulatory requirements, may also need to be granted. 

AHCA/NCAL has a training program ready to use as state occupational and licensing agencies approve these waivers. This 8-hour online Temporary Nurse Aide training course is free to all participants.
  
AHCA/NCAL has also developed a skills competency checklist  for facilities to use on-site when they hire individuals to work as Temporary Nurse Aides. It is important to know the federal requirement at §483.35(c) is still in effect , which requires facilities to ensure that nurse aides are able to demonstrate competency in skills and techniques necessary to care for residents’ needs, as identified through resident assessments, and described in the plan of care. 
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.