Documents address facility requirements, implementation timeline and more To help navigate the COVID-19 vaccine mandate for facilities that are certified by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Department of Health and Human Services is passing along several documents that address related issues. These documents on the CMS website are linked below:
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State health facility surveyors will enforce per federal guidance A COVID-19 vaccine mandate is in effect for health facilities that participate in Medicare or Medicaid, and State Survey Agencies — including the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance — have received guidance on enforcing the mandate.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance on December 28 to State Survey Agency directors on the mandate’s enforcement. The guidelines have been in force in most states (including Nevada) since that time, and after a Supreme Court ruling this week the guidelines are effective in the remaining 24 states. The CMS guidance includes provider-specific instructions; these instructions are substantively the same across the provider types, but do provide more detailed guidance regarding enforcement actions, compliance with the mandate’s policy and procedure requirements, and the survey process. For more information, read CMS Memo QSO-22-07, Guidance for the Interim Final Rule - Medicare and Medicaid Programs; Omnibus COVID-19 Health Care Staff Vaccination. State technical bulletin gives details on different groups to reduce disease spread The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated the quarantine guidance for persons who have been exposed to COVID-19. Quarantine is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from others. Quarantine helps prevent the spread of disease that can occur before a person knows they are sick. Those in quarantine should stay home, separate themselves from others, monitor their health and follow directions from their public health authority.
Nevada health officials have provided details about the new guidance specific to persons who are and who are not up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations, health care workers and persons who have had confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis in the past 90 days. For full details, see the Division of Public and Behavioral Health technical bulletins web page. Technical bulletin provides guidelines to help facilities develop written plans COVID-19 has highlighted some risks involved in resident care, particularly in skilled nursing facilities and other congregate living settings. There are several competing priorities, and it is difficult to balance access to care, health care provider (HCP) safety, staffing shortages, resident safety and infection control. Maintaining appropriate staffing in health care facilities, while adhering to state and federal regulatory requirements and evidence-based infection control and prevention standards, is essential to providing a safe work environment for HCP and for safe resident care. It is required that each health care facility maintains a robust plan for infection control that includes contingencies for balancing safety, staffing and compliance.
The Nevada Department of Health and Human Services has drafted a technical bulletin to provide guidance and support for facilities in developing and maintaining these complicated plans and the necessary balance of competing priorities. Visit the Division of Public and Behavioral Health technical bulletins web page for full information. Federal agencies this week amended Emergency Use Authorizations A new technical bulletin from the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) summarizes the recent updates to booster dose recommendations for the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines, including:
Vendors and others can verify 2022 renewal status online Health facilities are advised that some of this year’s submitted renewal applications have not yet been approved. The Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance (HCQC) licensure unit is working to process these applications, however the volume of late and/or incomplete applications submitted is causing a delay. Should you get communications from payors or other sources, look up your facility on online at FindAHealthFacility.nv.gov, which will show the facility’s license status as “active.”
Under Nevada Administrative Code 449.0116 health facilities that want to renew their license must submit a complete application for renewal on or before Nov. 15 of the calendar year in which the license expires. The existing license shall be deemed valid until the submitted application for renewal is evaluated and a final determination is made concerning whether to renew the license. This means that a facility that has submitted its renewal application and paid the health facility licensing fee will still have an active license while the renewal is under review into 2022. As an additional note, facilities must pay business license fees to the Nevada Secretary of State before the health facility license can be renewed. This issue has caused several facilities’ renewal applications for 2022 to be delayed. For more information, go to https://www.nvsilverflume.gov/home. Anyone requesting information on a health facility can also call (775) 684-1030 to get more information. |
AuthorThe Bureau of Health Care Quality and Compliance (HCQC) licenses medical and other health facilities, child care facilities and personnel, and medical laboratories and personnel in Nevada. HCQC also conducts compliance surveys and takes complaints. Archives
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