CMS issues final rule for Intermediate Care Facilities for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) now requires ICF/IID facilities to develop policies and procedures to educate clients, their representatives and staff on the benefits and risks, and potential side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine. Further, ICF/IID must offer the vaccine unless it is medically contraindicated or the client or staff member has already been immunized. Additionally, the facility must maintain appropriate documentation to reflect the provision of the required COVID-19 vaccine education and offering, and whether the client and staff member received the vaccine or did not receive it due to medical contraindications or refusal. The education and offering of the vaccine only needed to be documented once the CMS-3414-IFC rule went into effect on May 21, 2021.
Further, CMS continues to encourage ICF/IID to voluntarily report COVID-19 incidence and vaccination status of clients and staff, each dose of vaccine received, COVID-19 vaccination adverse events, and therapeutics administered to clients to treat COVID-19 on the CDC National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) website. This reporting will help public health agencies and stakeholders monitor the percentage of clients and staff who are vaccinated and target resources accordingly to improve vaccination rates. Additionally, reporting the use of therapeutics will help agencies and stakeholders monitor the prevalence of these treatments, their effectiveness, and support allocation efforts to ensure that the ICF/IID has access to needed supplies (vaccines, personal protective equipment, and COVID-19 tests). Noncompliance related to the new requirements for educating and offering COVID-19 vaccination to clients and staff will be cited by federal inspectors. Full details can be found in CMS memo QSO-21-21-ICFIID. For information about National Healthcare Safety Network, see the “NHSN Reporting Toolkit for Long-Term Care Facilities” on the Healthcare Associated Infections Prevention and Control Training and Education web page.
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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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