Coronavirus Update #176
Updates to Guidelines Concerning the Prevention and Control of Non-COVID Respiratory Illness, New MDThink Updates, ECHO Project Info, Healthcare Heroes Video, Voting Registration Deadline is Tomorrow
Updates to Guidelines Concerning the Prevention and Control of Non-COVID Respiratory Illnesses (Including Influenza)

On Friday evening, the Maryland Department of Health (MDH) released Guidelines on the Prevention and Control of Upper and Lower Acute Respiratory Illnesses. This guidance document has been updated to reflect the current guidance concerning the response to non-COVID respiratory illnesses during the COVID-19 pandemic (including influenza). Please review and be familiar with requirements for the prevention, control, and reporting of non-COVID respiratory illnesses.  
 
MD Think - New Release Tomorrow

NEW: Please read this very important message from the Office of Long Term Services and Supports regarding the Long Term Care E & E system release taking place on October 13, 2020.  


Training: As we previously shared, a new MD Think update is scheduled for release on Tuesday, October 13, 2020. There will be a weekly training hosted by the MD Think team every Thursday from 1:00 - 3:00 PM. Click here for a memo from MDH with more details on the changes and training.


Decommission of the Office of Long Term Care Dedicated Email Account: Beginning Tuesday, December 1, 2020, DHS will decommission the Office of Long Term Care (ltc.madocs@maryland.gov) dedicated email account that some facilities use to submit applications, redeterminations or documentation. Click here for the memo from MDH for more information.
AHRQ ECHO National Nursing Home COVID-19 Action Network

Supported by the Federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and in collaboration with the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), Project ECHO is virtually bringing together small groups of peers and experts in long-term and post-acute care to learn about the most current best practices to tackle pressing COVID-19 related problems. Huge thanks to Dr. David Gifford and the team at AHCA/NCAL for leading this national project.

The Network will work with nursing home staff and administrators from across the country. All participants will be encouraged to share best practices and learn from their peers while benefiting from the guidance of experts on nursing homes and quality improvement. The Network is open to any nursing home in the country at no cost.

To learn more, please review the documents below:
Healthcare Heroes Highlight Video

Check out and share our new highlight video from the Healthcare Heroes event that took place on September 3. Thanks again for all the wonderful nominations and be on the lookout for more ways to continue celebrating our healthcare heroes. We appreciate all that you and your teams continue to do!
2020 Voting Guide
*Registration Deadline is TOMORROW*
The 2020 General Election is Tuesday, November 3. Make sure that residents, patients, and staff are prepared to vote. Check out this voting guide for deadlines and information on voting.

Important Deadlines:
  • Make sure to register by Tuesday, October 13.
  • Vote by mail requests must be received by Tuesday, October 20.
  • Ballots must be postmarked or hand delivered by Tuesday, November 3.
CRISP Monthly Webinar Series: Understanding ENS PROMPT Filtering for Transitions of Care

Last month CRISP discussed the ENS PROMPT application and how it provides near real-time event notifications when your patient has a hospital encounter, receives COVID-19 test results, and much more. This month, the focus is on a very specific and beneficial functionality within the ENS PROMPT tool - filtering. Filtering helps ensure that you are viewing the most pertinent and relevant notifications to drive more effective and efficient transitions of care.

Join CRISP Wednesday, October 14, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. for a discussion on the basics of CRISP ENS PROMPT filtering followed by a deep dive into what those filters actually mean and how they can best support healthcare professionals.
 
While webinars are open to all CRISP users, this presentation may be most beneficial to those who are actively utilizing ENS PROMPT or those interested in learning more about maximizing the use of the filters provided.
Indoor Visitation Explainer for Families

Along with our partners at LeadingAge Maryland and Lifespan, we wanted to share this quick guide to help families understand the full scope of what “indoor visitation” resuming really means. Please feel free to share this document with your teams, families, and communities.
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.
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.