The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has implemented protective measures for nursing homes in the fight against the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).
Published March 18, 2020
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As nursing homes across the country face dramatically increased risk for coronavirus (COVID-19) infection cases, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking critical measures to keep residents safe.
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How is Medicare protecting nursing homes during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic?
The CMS announced the following actions on March 13 to be implemented immediately:
Nursing home visitors will be restricted, with some exceptions such as end-of-life situations.
All volunteers and nonessential health care personnel will be restricted.
All group activities and communal dining will be cancelled.
Residents and health care personnel will be actively screened for fever and respiratory symptoms consistent with COVID-19.
During permitted end-of-life visitations, visitors will be equipped with personal protective equipment, and the visit will be limited to a specific room.
Older adults are at increased risk for serious COVID-19 infection and illness
The nursing home protective measures being taken by the CMS are based on recommendations put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Older adults – especially those who have underlying health conditions – are at the highest risk of severe symptoms and death from COVID-19 infection. Nursing homes have become a source of outbreaks across the country because of this elevated risk.
“As we learn more about the Coronavirus from experts on the ground, we’ve learned that seniors with multiple conditions are at highest risk for infection and complications, so CMS is using every tool at our disposal to keep nursing homes free from infection,” said CMS Administrator Seema Verma.
“Temporarily restricting visitors and nonessential workers will help reduce the risk of Coronavirus spread in nursing homes, keeping residents safe.” – Seema Verma, CMS Administrator2
Additional nursing home recommendations from the CDC include:
Stock every room and common area with alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Ensure sinks are well-stocked with soap and paper towels
Make face masks and tissues available to people who are coughing or sneezing
Make personal protective equipment available in areas where resident care is provided
Ensure hospital-grade disinfectants are available for frequent cleaning of high-touch surfaces and shared equipment
The CDC also prepared a checklist of things that nursing homes can do to develop a COVID-19 response plan.
The checklist items include:
Rapidly identifying and managing sick residents
Adjusting considerations for visitors and consulting staff
Having adequate supplies and resources
Implementing sick leave policies and other occupational health considerations
Administering special education and training for staff
Increasing to surge capacity for staffing, equipment and supplies
CMS is encouraging nursing homes to utilize virtual communication to help residents communicate with their families and to keep outsiders informed of their loved one’s care.
These measures include regular outbound communication and assigning staff members as primary contacts for inbound communications.
About the author
Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
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Christian Worstell is a senior Medicare and health insurance writer with MedicareAdvantage.com. He is also a licensed health insurance agent. Christian is well-known in the insurance industry for the thousands of educational articles he’s written, helping Americans better understand their health insurance and Medicare coverage.
Christian’s work as a Medicare expert has appeared in several top-tier and trade news outlets including Forbes, MarketWatch, WebMD and Yahoo! Finance.
Christian has written hundreds of articles for MedicareAvantage.com that teach Medicare beneficiaries the best practices for navigating Medicare. His articles are read by thousands of older Americans each month. By better understanding their health care coverage, readers may hopefully learn how to limit their out-of-pocket Medicare spending and access quality medical care.
Christian’s passion for his role stems from his desire to make a difference in the senior community. He strongly believes that the more beneficiaries know about their Medicare coverage, the better their overall health and wellness is as a result.
A current resident of Raleigh, Christian is a graduate of Shippensburg University with a bachelor’s degree in journalism.
If you’re a member of the media looking to connect with Christian, please don’t hesitate to email our public relations team at Mike@tzhealthmedia.com.
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