CMS Issues Toolkit on State Actions to Mitigate COVID-19 Prevalence in Nursing Homes
CMS issued a thirteenth version of its toolkit on state actions to mitigate COVID-19 prevalence in nursing homes. The actions enumerated in the toolkit are sourced from healthcare providers, state governors, and other stakeholders and include those related to cleaning/disinfection, reporting/guidance, testing, workforce and staffing, cohorting, establishing infection control “strike teams,” establishing infection control surveys and other state surveys, nursing home communications, procuring and improving utilization of PPE, housing and sheltering, addressing transportation needs, patient transfer, and telehealth (among others). The toolkit also provides contact information for organizations that can assist with challenges encountered by states and their long-term care settings. The reissue highlights additional state actions for each of these topics.