KING COUNTY COMPILES TESTING HANDBOOK TO HELP ASSISTED LIVING PROVIDERS
King County health officials have compiled a
handbook providing information to support COVID-19 testing in assisted living facilities in King County. It is a resource to inform both for point-prevalence testing events (testing all residents and staff) and ongoing re-testing of staff or symptomatic residents. While the handbook is designed with specific focus on King County, it has helpful information that all assisted living facilities may be able to utilize.
NHSN REPORTING CITATIONS AND CMPs RESCINDED
Some members have begun to receive notices in CASPER rescinding the F884 citation and Civil Monetary Penalty (CMP) they were given for allegedly not reporting complete information to NHSN about COVID-19 in the standardized format and frequency specified by CMS and CDC. Read
more.
OUTLOOK FOR THREE-DAY HOSPITAL WAIVER
In the past months, CMS has issued an array of national “blanket” waivers to reduce administrative burden, improve access to care, and expedite provider payment in both the Medicare and Medicaid programs. Read
more.
WHCA has been asked to remind all assisted living and skilled nursing centers submitting COVID-19 test lab specimens to ensure proper package guidelines are maintained. This is necessary for the safety of transport, lab workers, and to ensure accurate/non-contaminate COVID-19 results. Packaging guidelines can be found
here. If you have questions regarding the statewide COVID LTC testing, please contact the Department of Health help center at
doh-cbts.imt@doh.wa.gov.
DOH OFFERS WEEKLY WEBINAR FOR LTC PROVIDERS
The Department of Health (DOH) continues to offer a webinar each Thursday at 11 AM specifically for long term care providers and other healthcare professionals. This webinar provides an opportunity to ask questions and get additional information directly from DOH officials. Join the webinar on Thursday, June 25, at 11 AM. You must
register in advance. For slides and previous Q&A documents covered in the previous webinars, visit the
WHCA COVID-19 resource page.
WHCA UPDATES FAQ DOCUMENTS
Since the COVID-19 virus initially affected our region, WHCA has been working with our member facilities to help them access resources and information on how to respond to this public health crisis. We have developed a list of the frequently asked questions for both assisted living and skilled nursing providers. We continue to update the documents with new information. You can access the
Assisted Living FAQs and
Skilled Nursing FAQs at any time.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
WHCA continues to post resources and information as it becomes available on our website. If you have questions or need additional information, please call the WHCA office at (800) 562-6170.
