COVID-19 UPDATE #241
April 18, 2022
DSHS RAPID RESPONSE TEAM STAFFING IS STILL AVAILABLE FOR AL AND SNF
According to the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS), funding has been extended for the use of staffing support for long term care facilities via the Rapid Response Teams. Facilities do not need to have a COVID outbreak to request the staffing support. Staffing support is free and more information on how to request assistance can be found in the Dear Administrator letter 021-09-02-1 RAPID RESPONSE TEAM 2 SHORT-TERM STAFFING.
DEAR ADMINISTRATOR LETTER TO SNFs REGARDING CMS ANNOUNCEMENT TO DISCONTINUE NURSING ASSISTANT CERTIFICATION WAIVER
In a Dear Administrator letter dated April 12, 2022, skilled nursing providers are notified on April 7, 2022, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released QSO-22-15-NH, stating that the waiver for 42 CFR 483.35(d)- training and certification of nurse aides for skilled nursing facilities/nursing facilities (SNF/NFs) is set to lapse 60 days from the date the memo was released. At that time, all individuals who are nursing assistant registered (NAR) and are currently working in nursing homes as of June 5, 2022, will have 120 days to complete the training and take the certification exam (October 3, 2022).

The letter, sent in collaboration with the Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission and the Washington Department of Health, also informs providers that a survey has been created to assist in providing the supportive data necessary to allow appropriate allocation of resources to assist facilities in getting their staff trained and certified. Please complete this survey as soon as possible.

If you have questions, please contact Molly McClintock, Nursing Home Policy Program Manager, at (360) 742-6966.
DOH TO HOST WEBINAR ON ADDRESSING VACCINE ADMINISTRATION ERRORS
The Washington Department of Health (DOH) is pleased to host a webinar on Wednesday, April 27, 2022, from 12-1 PM. The webinar will feature Dr. Sarah Schillie with the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Services Division. Dr. Schillie will discuss preventing vaccine administration errors and how to address them if they occur. The webinar is designed for health care providers, including medical assistants, nurses, and pharmacists/pharmacy techs, and any others interested in learning more about this topic.

The webinar will be recorded and continuing education is available for nurses, medical assistants, pharmacists, and pharmacy techs. Register in advance. If you have questions, please email Trang Kuss at DOH.
TIPS FOR COMMENTING TO CMS ON THE FY2023 PROPOSED PAYMENT RULE FOR SNF
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) will host a webinar for all members on Thursday, April 21 at 12 Noon PST to provide tips for drafting and submitting your comments on the FY 2023 SNF Proposed Payment Rule. The webinar will be recorded, and all registrants will receive an email when the recording is ready. Please email educate@ahca.org with any questions or if you need assistance registering.
CMS OUTLINES PLAN TO SUNSET VARIOUS FIRE AND LIFE SAFETY RELATED 1135 WIAVERS FOR SNFs
In March of 2020, CMS implemented a number of 1135 waivers in response to the pandemic. These blanket waivers were intended to help healthcare providers contain the spread of COVID-19 during the Public Heath Emergency. Some of these waivers specifically addressed fire and life safety requirements. 

In early April​, 2022, CMS informed healthcare providers that many of these waivers will be sunsetting. Some have a 30-day expiration while others will end after 60 days. All of the fire and life safety related waivers fall into the 60-day expiration period.  

Here is a list of the fire and life safety related blanket waivers that will be expiring on June 6, 2022:
  • Inspection, Testing, and Maintenance
  • Fire Drills
  • Temporary Walls and Partitions

Click here to read the details around each waiver item. If you have questions, please email Elena Madrid, Executive Vice President for Regulatory Affairs.
DOH REPORTING UPDATES FOR FACILITIES DOING POINT OF CARE (ANTIGEN) TESTING - SNF & AL
DOH REPORTING UPDATES FOR FACILITIES DOING POINT OF CARE (ANTIGEN) TESTING - SNF & AL
The Department of Health is sharing important information regarding reporting requirements for COVID-19 testing in Washington that may impact your facility. These changes will go into effect on April 20, 2022. We ask that you update your test reporting to include these changes at that time. A summary of the changes is included below, and more information is provided on the Washington State Board of Health (SBOH) website: Notifiable Conditions - COVID-19 Reporting. If you have any questions, please email DOH-SURV@doh.wa.gov. 

Reporting Requirements as of April 20, 2022: 
  • Per WAC 246-101-017, the COVID-19 reporting emergency rule adopted by the SBOH: 
  • Laboratories licensed to conduct moderate or high complexity testing are required to report positive, negative, and inconclusive test results from nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT) and antigen tests. This is not changed from the previous emergency rule. 
  • Laboratories licensed to conduct waived tests under a certificate of waiver are required to report only positive test results from NAAT and antigen tests. This includes point-of-care (POC) test sites such as long-term care facilities, schools, and correctional facilities. This is a change from the previous rule which required positive, negative, and inconclusive results to be reported. 
  • Laboratories are no longer required to report antibody test results. 
  • Laboratories are no longer required to report on Ask on Entry (AOE) questions. 
  • Per updates to the Medical Test Site/Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (MTS/CLIA) licensing requirements for over-the-counter (OTC) or self-tests: 
  • MTS/CLIA license is not required if a facility uses self-tests that are performed and interpreted by the individuals themselves. The facility should not report these results to DOH or their local health jurisdiction. Individuals may choose to self-report their results following the WA DOH guidance for use of self-tests. 
  • MTS/CLIA license is required if a facility performs or interprets self-tests. These results should be reported by the facility as a POC site following the guidance on our webpage: Reporting COVID-19 Test Results for Point-of-Care Testing Facilities. 
  • All facilities should review the WACs specific to them for any additional reporting requirements. 

The DOH thanks you in advance for implementing these COVID-19 test reporting changes on April 20. If you have questions or concerns about these changes or how they impact lab reporting, please email DOH-SURV@doh.wa.gov. Facilities who submit test results through ELR may also send questions to ELR@doh.wa.gov. If you have questions or concerns about licensing, please email LQA@doh.wa.gov. 
US RENEWS COVID-19 PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY
The United States on Wednesday renewed the COVID-19 public health emergency, allowing millions of Americans to keep getting free tests, vaccines and treatments for at least three more months. The public health emergency was initially declared in January 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic began. It has been renewed each quarter since and was due to expire on April 16. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in a statement said it was extending the public health emergency and that it will give states 60 days notice prior to termination or expiration. Read more.
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.