Home Health

COVID-19 Workshop on July 16: Resiliency – Coping & Recovering During a Pandemic

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Thursday, July 16, 2020, 10:30-11:00 AM EDT Our COVID-19 Workshop Series continues on Thursdays, 10:30 – 11:00 am. Resilience is the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties—so what does that look like across the health care spectrum during this pandemic? Join us as we discuss fostering community resilience and how it impacts those you serve. …

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CMS Proposes Medicare Payment Changes to Support Innovation and Increased Access for Dialysis in the Home Setting

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Rule proposes improved process to pay for innovative dialysis equipment and support home dialysis for Medicare’s most vulnerable population Today, the Trump Administration took dramatic steps to support access to home dialysis through the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed changes to the Medicare End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS). Building …

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CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – Week of 6/29/20 and July

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CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts. Call details …

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Webinar on June 30: Berkshire HealthCare Systems’ COVID-19 Journey – Getting to the Gold

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June 30, 2020 @ 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM EDT The COVID-19 pandemic created enormous pressure on our health care system. Nursing Homes, where over 85% of the residents are among the most vulnerable, were immediately impacted with several thousand residents confirmed positive in only a few weeks. As of June 18th, Massachusetts reported over …

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COVID-19 Workshop on July 2: Nourishing the Mind, Body, & Soul During COVID-19

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Providing Compassionate Food & Nutrition Services Thursday, July 2, 2020, 10:30-11:00 AM EDT Our COVID-19 Workshop Series continues on Thursdays, 10:30 – 11:00 am. Join us for a COVID-19 Workshop on July 2 as we host a conversation with registered dieticians. Together, we’ll learn about: Successful practices to stabilize resident food intake Monitoring and managing …

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CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – Week of 6/15/20

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CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts. Call details …

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COVID-19 Workshop on June 18: Health Equity & COVID-19 – Mitigating Impacts on Minority Populations

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Thursday, June 18, 2020, 10:30-11:00 AM EDT Our COVID-19 Workshop Series continues on Thursdays, 10:30 – 11:00 am. Join us on June 18 at 10:30am for a COVID-19 workshop on health equity. Better understand how and why COVID-19 is disproportionately affecting minority and vulnerable populations Learn actionable strategies for mitigating the impact of the pandemic …

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CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – Week of 6/1/20

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CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts.  Call details …

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Resources for Mental Health Month

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May is Mental Health Month, and we want to recognize the unique position frontline health workers are in during this pandemic and what kind of toll that takes on their mental wellness. As it is, those in health care face high rates of burn out. But now they’re even more at risk for negative mental …

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CMS Gives States Additional Flexibility to Address Coronavirus Pandemic

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CMS has approved over 200 requests for state relief in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including recent approvals for Alaska, Iowa, Hawaii, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, and Virginia. These approvals help to ensure that states have the tools they need to combat COVID-19. This is done through a wide variety of …

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Medicare Payment for COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests

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Earlier this year, CMS took action to ensure America’s patients, health care facilities, and clinical laboratories were prepared to respond to COVID-19. To help increase testing, CMS developed two codes that laboratories can use to bill for certain COVID-19 lab tests, including serology tests. CMS has updated its guidance to include payment details for additional …

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CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls – Week of 5/18/20

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CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts. Call details …

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AHRQ’s COVID-19 Resources

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The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) shares a new online resource that provides access to critical research and tools related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The resource was developed to support healthcare professionals in their effort to confront the COVID-19 pandemic. It includes: tools and resources for improving clinical practice in hospitals, ambulatory care …

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May 11-15: CMS COVID-19 Stakeholder Engagement Calls

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CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts. Call details …

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CMS News Summary – MAY 7, 2020

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Here is a summary of recent Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) actions taken in response to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), as part of the ongoing White House Task Force efforts. To keep up with the important work the Task Force is doing in response to COVID-19, click here www.coronavirus.gov. For information specific to …

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RIDOH Shares Personal Protective Equipment Videos

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Personal protective equipment (PPE), including respirators (like N95s), facemasks (such as surgical masks), face shields and other eye protection, gowns, and gloves, are in short supply across the United States. Until appropriate PPE is available, the Rhode Island Department of Health provide guidance on the prioritization and conservation of PPE. Watch these educational videos on …

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CMS Releases Updated Fact Sheets

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CMS has updated multiple fact sheets that summarize changes made through regulatory actions in response to COVID-19. View more resources available on CMS waivers and flexibilities here. A full list of emergency declaration blanket waivers for health care providers implemented to date is available here. Additional fact sheets include: Clinicians:  Physicians and Other Practitioners (PDF) …

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May 12 Webinar: Rural Health and COVID-19

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Date: Tuesday, May 12, 2020 at 4-5:00pm EST Delivering healthcare in rural communities presents unique challenges that have always required coordination and innovation. Now, more than ever, it is essential that rural communities and healthcare providers have access to the resources they need to combat COVID-19. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) …

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CMS COVID-19 Calls: May 5-8, 2020

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CMS hosts varied recurring stakeholder engagement sessions to share information related to the agency’s response to COVID-19. These sessions are open to members of the healthcare community and are intended to provide updates, share best practices among peers, and offer attendees an opportunity to ask questions of CMS and other subject matter experts. Call details …

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Weekly COVID-19 Care Site-Specific Calls

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CMS hosts weekly calls for certain types of organizations to provide targeted updates on the agency’s latest COVID-19 guidance. One to two leaders in the field also share best practices with their peers. There is an opportunity to ask questions of presenters if time allows. Home Health and Hospice (Tuesdays at 3:00 PM Eastern) Tuesday, …

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Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 (Fridays at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern)

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Lessons from the Front Lines calls are a joint effort between CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Physicians and other clinicians are invited to share their experience, ideas, strategies, and insights with one another related to their COVID-19 response. There is an opportunity to ask …

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CDC’s LTC Mini-Webinars

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) long-term care (LTC) mini-webinars are now live! These mini-webinars are all published on the Key Strategies to Prepare for COVID-19 in Long-term Care Facilities (LTCFs) web page at the bottom under a “Webinar Series” section. View the handout (PDF). These new webinars will be a great training …

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CDC’s New PPE Educational Materials

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed new Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) educational materials to be used as an aide when training healthcare personnel on selecting and correctly using; donning (putting on), doffing (taking off), and disposing of PPE to protect themselves from exposure to COVID-19 in the healthcare settings.   New COVID-19 …

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Optimize PPE Supply

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Personal protective equipment (PPE) is used every day by healthcare personnel (HCP) to protect themselves, patients, and others when providing care. PPE helps protect HCP from potentially infectious patients and materials, toxic medications, and other potentially dangerous substances used in healthcare delivery. PPE shortages are currently posing a tremendous challenge to the US healthcare system …

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Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 (Fridays at 12:30 – 2:00 PM Eastern)

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Lessons from the Front Lines calls are a joint effort between CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force. Physicians and other clinicians are invited to share their experience, ideas, strategies, and insights with one another related to their COVID-19 response. There is an opportunity to ask …

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CMS Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19

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On behalf of CMS Administrator Seema Verma, FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, MD, and the White House Coronavirus Task Force, we invite you to join CMS Lessons from the Front Lines: COVID-19 on Friday, April 17th from 12:30 – 2 PM EST. This call series is an opportunity to hear physicians and other clinical leaders share …

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COVID Stakeholder Engagement Call for Thursday – Office Hours

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You are invited to CMS “Office Hours” on COVID-19, Thursday, April 16th from 5:00 – 6:00 PM Eastern, the next in a series of opportunities for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to: * Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS …

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CMS Increases Medicare Payment for High-Production Coronavirus Lab Tests

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CMS helps expand testing capacity and monitoring for COVID-19 in nursing homes and other settings with high volume testing needs The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced Medicare will nearly double payment for certain lab tests that use high-throughput technologies to rapidly diagnose large numbers of 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. This …

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CDC’s NHSN: Healthcare Worker and Supply Pathways

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) continues to support the nation’s COVID-19 response and has released two additional data collection pathways in the COVID-19 Module found within the Patient Safety Component. In addition to the Patient Impact and Hospital Capacity Pathway, the Healthcare Worker Staffing Pathway and the …

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CMS Conference Call @ 3:00, Tuesday, April 14

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Please join the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for a call on COVID-19 with Home Health and Hospice Organizations today,, Tuesday, April 14th at 3:00 PM EST. CMS leadership will provide updates on the agency’s latest guidance and we will be joined by leaders in the field interested in sharing best practices with …

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CMS Office Hours on COVID-19 – April 14

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CMS is hosting “Office Hours” on COVID-19, Tuesday, April 14th from 5:00 – 6:00 PM EST, the next in a series of opportunities for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to: * Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals Without …

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Infection Control Guidance

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shared interim infection control guidance. This guidance has been updated based on currently available information about COVID-19 and the current situation in the United States, which includes community transmission, infections identified in healthcare personnel (HCP), and shortages of facemasks, N95 filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs) (commonly known as …

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Return-to-Work Criteria for Health Care Professionals with Confirmed or Suspected COVID-19

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Summary of Recent Changes as of April 13, 2020 Indicates a preference for use of the Test-based strategy to determine when HCP may return to work in healthcare settings Adds return to work criteria for HCP with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 who have not had any symptoms Aligns with recommendations for universal source control for everyone in a …

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Ending Home Isolation

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This website was updated to reflect the updates in the Interim Infection Prevention and Control Recommendations for Patients with Suspected or Confirmed Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in Healthcare Settings. The changes include: Updated PPE recommendations Based on local and regional situational analysis of PPE supplies, facemasks are an acceptable alternative when the supply chain of …

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CMS Office Hours on COVID-19: April 9th

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You are invited to CMS “Office Hours” on COVID-19, Thursday, April 9th from 5:00 – 6:00 PM EST, the next in a series of opportunities for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to: Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals …

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CMS Issues New Wave of Infection Control Guidance Based on CDC Guidelines to Protect Patients and Healthcare Workers from COVID-19

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Guidance will aid clinicians in various healthcare settings to prevent and mitigate the spread Under the leadership of President Trump, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a series of updated guidance documents focused on infection control to prevent the spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in a variety of inpatient …

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COVID-19 Update Call Today

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Please join the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a Medicare Learning Network event to hear about updates on recent CMS actions taken to address the COVID-19 public health emergency. When: Today, Tuesday, April 7 from 2:00 to 3:00 pm EDT Registration: Closes at 12:00 pm EDT. Register here Target Audience: All Medicare fee-for-service …

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CMS COVID-19 Office Hours Today

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“You are invited to CMS “Office Hours” on COVID-19, Tuesday, April 7th from 5:00 – 6:00 PM EST, the first in a series of opportunities for hospitals, health systems, and providers to ask questions of agency officials regarding CMS’s temporary actions that empower local hospitals and healthcare systems to: Increase Hospital Capacity – CMS Hospitals …

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Guidance for Home Health Agencies

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CMS is committed to protecting American patients and residents by ensuring health care facilities have up-to-date information to adequately respond to COVID-19 concerns. Coordination with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and local public health departments, we encourage all Home Health Agencies to monitor the CDC website for information and resources and contact …

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