Below is a repost of a Briggs article written by Mary Madison, RN, RAC-CT, CDP, Clinical Consultant, Briggs Healthcare.

If you’ve been following recent Interim Final Rule blogs, you know that beginning Friday, May 8, 2020 all Medicare-certified LTC facilities (SNFs and NFs) must begin reporting COVID-19 data through the NHSN (National Healthcare Safety Network – CDC) at least weekly.  The LTCF COVID-19 Module provides “a customized system to track infections and prevention process measures in a systematic way.”

The COVID-19 Module for LTCFs consists of four pathways within NHSN’s Long-term Care Facility Component:

• Resident Impact and Facility Capacity
• Staff and Personnel Impact
• Supplies and Personal Protective Equipment
• Ventilator Capacity and Supplies

The Module enables an assessment of the impact of COVID-19 in LTCFs through facility reported information, including:

• Counts of residents and facility personnel with suspected and laboratory positive COVID-19
• Counts of suspected and laboratory positive COVID-19 related deaths among residents and facility personnel
• Staffing shortages
• Status of personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies
• Ventilator capacity and supplies for facilities with ventilator dependent units.

The Module does not collect staff or resident-level information.

Participation in the COVID-19 Module for LTCFs requires facilities to be actively enrolled in NHSN. LTCFs that are currently enrolled in NHSN’s LTCF Component have immediate access to the new module and may begin reporting. If your facility previously enrolled, but is no longer able to gain access, contact NHSN user support at nhsn@cdc.gov for assistance. A facility who is already enrolled does not need to re-enroll. This is the link to information on LTCF COVID-19 Module Enrollment.

A training session on enrollment in both NHSN and SAMS (Secure Access Management Services) was held on Monday, May 4, 2020.  That presentation provides step-by-step guidance to enroll.  Pay close attention to the initial slides that describe what to do if your facility has already enrolled in NHSN voluntarily as there are different steps for 1^st time enrollees.  If you have already enrolled, you don’t need to do so again.  The presentation slides provide help desk and other means to get help, so you’re prepared to start entering and submitting COVID-19 data in accordance with the Interim Final Rule (see 1^st paragraph).  Be sure to keep all email correspondence for NHSN COVID-19 enrollment (this is done first for initial enrollment) and SAMS (do this after confirmation of NHSN enrollment) access.  If in doubt, contact NHSN for assistance.

There is another training session today.

COVID-19 Module Overview for Long-term Care Facilities

When: May 5, 2020
Time: 3:00 – 4:30 PM EST

Join the webinar

Instructions

• Click here to join the webinar.
• Use the following credentials
  • Password: 339263
  • Or iPhone one-tap:
    US: +16692545252,,1602548824#,,#,339263# or +16468287666,,1602548824#,,#,339263#
  • Or Telephone:
    Dial (for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location):
    US: +1 669 254 5252 or +1 646 828 7666
  • Webinar ID: 160 254 8824
    Password: 339263

Please note that links are available only during the date and time of the event.

Download this presentation ahead of time, if possible.  This is a repeat of last Thursday’s webinar (April 30, 2020).

There is a great deal of information on this website – bookmark it for future reference.

Want to keep up with the changing COVID-19 situation in skilled nursing?