This week, AMDA, also known as The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care (PALTC) Medicine has released a COVID-19 vaccine education toolkit to help answer questions from staff, residents and family members. We've used it to create a COVID-19 Vaccine Q&A Flyer with top questions for you to distribute, or hang around your community.

Flyers/posters are just one of many suggested ideas for boosting staff/residents' confidence in the vaccine and the questions are just seven of the many presented in the AMDA toolkit. 

Among questions were these popular ones:

• Can the vaccine give me COVID-19? No, these vaccines do NOT contain COVID-19. They also cannot change your DNA.
  
  
• When will I be protected? You'll be protected 1-2 weeks after the second dose. You must receive 2 doses of the SAME vaccine, 3-4 weeks apart.
  
  
• How long will I be protected? It is uncertain now, but as time passes, experts will know more. You may need to receive them on a regular basis (like the flu shot).
  
  
• What are the possible side effects? You can expect short-term discomfort: fatigue, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and pain at the injection site. Side effects typically last 24-48 hours and may be worse after the second dose.
  
  
• What if I've already had COVID-19? Even if you've had COVID-19, it is important to get vaccinated for longer/better protection.
  
  
• Will I still need to wear a mask? Yes! A large number of people will need vaccination before transmission drops enough to stop using masks.
  
  
• Why should I get vaccinated? Protect yourself/your family. Keep your residents safe. Help stop spread in the community. Set an example for others, including residents, families, co-workers, and the community.

For more questions, please see Questions and Answers about the COVID-19 Vaccine for PALTC Staff, Patients, Residents and Family Members

For more creative ideas for improving resident/staff confidence in the vaccine, see Strategies for Improving Staff and Resident Confidence in the COVID-19 Vaccine

And, don't forget to download, distribute and hang our flyer, Answers to Your Covid-19 Vaccine Questions.

This week, AHCA/NCAL released an 8-minute video with their Chief Medical Officer Dr. David Gifford and Dr. Shari Ling, Deputy Medical Director at CMS. The two discussed common myths among senior care communities and corrected them. 

Below is a summary of their discussion. Also available is an at-a-glance summary to share with your staff, residents and their families.

Myth #1: Testing Negative After Exposure Means You're All Clear
False. If you know you've been exposed to COVID-19, an immediate test does not mean you're clear. You should wait 5-7 days post-exposure to test and isolate for 14 days.

Myth #2: It's OK to Unmask Outside of Your Senior Care Community
False. Many people are getting infected outside of the facility – most often at family gatherings or restaurants. Further, more than 50% of COVID cases are asymptomatic.

Myth #3: You Only Need to Mask-Up Around Residents
False. Beyond residents, your mask protects you, coworkers and anyone you contact outside of the community. Masks should be worn in all areas of the facility, including break rooms, and out in public.

Myth #4: It's Rude to Alert Other Staff of Improper PPE Use
False. Don't be afraid to tell coworkers if masks have slipped and thank others for helping you. It happens, so we all need to band together and help each other be safe.

Want more? See this article: How to Dispel a Dozen Covid-19 Myths for Patients.

We've reached another critical stage in this pandemic. It's time to snap back to attention and increase safety measures during the holidays. We hope these resources will help.

Late Wednesday, CMS released an alert regarding the holidays, which promise to tempt both residents and staff to attend family gatherings. Aside from offering innovative ways to celebrate without gathering, CMS recommends continuing to closely follow visitation guidelines and adhering to the core principles of infection prevention.

• Remain six feet or more apart
• Wear a face covering
• Limit number of visitors at any one time

For residents (and staff) who leave senior homes for family gatherings, proactively provide this checklist of CMS/CDC recommendations, which is also summarized below.

• Limit close contact; keep gatherings as small as possible, and use technology to engage with others remotely
• Wear facemasks or cloth face covering at all times – including in cars, homes, restaurants, etc.
• Limit contact with commonly touched surfaces or shared items
• Avoid communal serving utensils, passing of food, potluck or buffet style food service; opt for individually prepared plates by a single server
• Perform hand hygiene often  
• Avoid large gatherings, crowded areas, and high-risk activities – including singing
• Avoid contact with those who've left their homes 14 days prior to the gathering
• Ask anyone with symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19 to not attend 
• Opt for outdoor gatherings; if indoors, ensure good ventilation – open windows/doors
• Verbally greet others instead of shaking hands or giving hugs
• Check local/state precautions and restrictions, including positivity rates and quarantine requirements, before crossing state lines

When residents return, CMS recommends that senior caregivers:

• Screen and increase monitoring for signs and symptoms
• Test for COVID-19 and place resident on transmission-based precautions (TBP) if:
  • Signs or symptoms are present
  • Resident or family reports possible exposure
  • Resident leaves frequently or for a prolonged time (24 hours or more)

As the COVID wrench throws itself into our holiday traditions, remember, a little bit of proactivity can go a long way. Remind residents and staff of these proven recommendations – and be safe out there.

We remain incredibly grateful to you for providing continued care and protection to community residents during this challenging time.

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us to all of you!

Last month, the Trump Administration announced partnerships with CVS and Walgreens to provide and administer COVID-19 vaccines to residents of long-term care facilities (LTCF) nationwide. 

What you need to know:

• Free of charge 
• Includes needles, syringes, and other necessary equipment 
• Available to skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted-living facilities, and residential group homes. 
• Available to LTCF staff
• Expected to take three total visits over approximately two months
• Two doses are administered 28 days apart

What pharmacies will do:

• Receive and manage vaccines and associated supplies (e.g., syringes, needles, and personal protective equipment).
• Ensure cold chain management for vaccine.
• Provide on-site administration of vaccine.
• Report required vaccination data (who/what/where) to state, local, territorial, and federal public health authorities within 72 hours.

When to expect it:

• As soon as late November or early December
• Vaccines likely to roll out in phases, with nursing homes being second only to first responders and high-risk health care workers

What you can do to prepare:

1. Enroll your facility via the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) and complete the LTCF COVID-19 Module
2. Prepare to educate about vaccination risks and benefits
3. Prioritize who should get vaccines if supply is limited
4. Discuss mandatory vaccinations for all employees
5. Build a review committee for those who want to opt-out
6. Develop alternative policies (e.g., mandatory PPE) and enforcement plans for opt-outs
7. Incorporate vaccinations into new hire onboarding process

As details become known, your prep list may grow. But, at least you can check a few things off while we all anxiously await the official debut of the COVID-19 vaccine.

We've worked with senior care providers and experts for the last several years to identify pain points with managed care. As a result, we've uncovered 10 trends that may cause you to lose reimbursement dollars. Here they are:

1. Provider order includes an exclusion
2. Provider order includes a high-cost medication
3. Therapy minutes exceed the daily/weekly limit for the level assigned
4. Therapy minutes are below the daily/weekly limit for the level assigned
5. Resident's stay authorization information was not received or is missing
6. Resident's stay authorization is expired
7. Insurance verification dates/information is missing
8. There are gaps in the resident's insurance coverage period
9. The level of care is not assigned for the resident
10. A resident update to the payer is overdue

If these reasons are known, you may ask yourself why collecting on managing care is still an issue. The issue lies in the amount of time it takes to track each payer's contract details and map a resident's care back to each one's terms. 

If you're lucky, your organization employs case managers for this. However, the reality for many senior care providers is that 'managing' managed care is an add-on responsibility to someone's already-busy schedule. 

That's where technology can help. By converting your many paper contracts into an online database of requirements, and applying an alert system to track these 10 critical details, we solve two issues. We're helping you use your staff more effectively, shifting their time back to patients and we're making sure you get reimbursed.

If you'd like to hear more about how we can help you drive more revenue into your organization while using your staff's time more efficiently, get in touch about our Managed Care MASTER solution.