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Note – new link below – Next LTC-ISDH call – Thursday, January 21, 2021- 12:00-1:00 pm Eastern
Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer or mobile app
Or call in (audio only)
Phone Conference ID: 245 831 450#
Vaccination information – New Information in vaccination and LeadingAge National sections below.
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Please also note that if you have not heard from your pharmacy partner yet to schedule date/times for vaccine distribution; please contact CVS at CovidVaccineClinicsLTCF@CVSHealth.com; or Walgreens at immunizeLTC@walgreens.com; and / or rena.estep@walgreens.com.
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Please see CVS/Walgreens spreadsheet suggesting facility clinic dates. This information appears to be less than 100% accurate, so if there are discrepancies between what you believe are your clinic dates and what is in the spreadsheet, please contact you CVS or Walgreens Pharmacy Partner.
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Please see ISDH News Release outlining the new age group distribution schedule. Also note, stand-alone Assisted Living facilities should be contacted by their CVS or Walgreens partner soon. No definitive word on Independent Living facilities or how new rollout information from the federal government will affect vaccine distribution here in Indiana.
Please get Vaccinated. It is critically important for LTC executives, administrators, and other in-house leaders to get and advocate for staff and resident vaccinations. The State and LeadingAge have put out a great deal of information on the safety of the vaccines. If there are additional questions about the safety or efficacy of the vaccine, please refer to the material below or contact Eric Essley at eessley@leadingageindiana.org.
Call for information – As we move through the initial phases of the COVID vaccination, LeadingAge Indiana is interested in understanding what the level of staff and resident uptake is on this effort. If you have a moment, please shoot me an email - Eric Essley at eessley@leadingageindiana.org
Call for Nominations - If you live in Central Indiana (Marion County + Doughnut), or Madison County – please consider submitting a nomination for the Indianapolis Business Journal’s Health Care Heroes. The nomination form is here; and the deadline for nominations is January 29, 2021. It would be great to see some LeadingAge Indiana members represented.
Note on Monoclonal Antibody (MAB) therapies. ISDH has reached out to LeadingAge Indiana and others to better understand whether there is an appetite for distribution of Monoclonal Antibody (MAB) therapies in LTCFs. Such treatments are typically administered in infusion centers. If individual facilities would like more information about becoming a point of care, ISDH asks that you work with them as it does not come without risk. The contact is Dr. Dan Rusyniak (Daniel.Rusyniak@fssa.IN.gov).
Medicaid rate increase. All nursing facility providers will receive the 4.2% rate increase through January 31, 2021. FSSA still strongly encourages providers to take the trainings found on the Myers and Stauffer website as they benefit both residents and facility staff.
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Housing Calls Continue in 2021 |
The calls will take place on the 3rd Thursday of each month from 12-1 p.m. CST. (1-2 p.m. EST). Updates from LeadingAge National, discussion and Q&A will be part of each agenda. Members can submit topics to be discussed in addition to the regular updates. Call-in information will be provided prior to each meeting.
Thursday January 21 is the first meeting of 2021.
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STATE
ISDH has put out a link that will allow LTC employees to receive the COVID-19 vaccine at a hospital - and prior to when your pharmacy partner (CVS or Walgreens) would be coming on-site later this month/Q1 2021. Please seethe ISDH communication and PowerPoint presentation that will explain the process and answer questions your staff may have.
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Updated FAQs on Vaccines. The LeadingAge Vaccine FAQs have been updated.
Surgeon General Jerome Adams on future vaccine development. His advice: take whatever approved vaccine you are offered as soon as you are able to. Here’s a summary of his answers to our questions.
CVS Office Hours coming soon. In large part thanks to information provided by LeadingAge members and state partners, CVS has agreed to work quickly to operationalize an “office hours” 800 number for provider partners. The number will connect to a live person to answer questions and help resolve problems in real time. CVS is aiming to have details in the next few days. Jim Love, CEO of CVS/Omnicare will drop in for the update call on Monday to roll it out to members.
CVS answers LeadingAge members’ requests for answers. Here’s a summary of answers to some questions asked.
Updated Information on Pfizer-BioNTech Vials: The FDA posted an updated letter of authorization, health care provider fact sheet and frequently asked questions regarding the number of Pfizer-BioNTech doses in a vial. These updates are consistent with previous FDA advice that it would be acceptable to use every full dose obtainable (the sixth, or possibly even a seventh) from each vial, pending resolution of the issue. However, since the vaccine does not contain preservative, it is critical to note that any further remaining product that does not constitute a full dose should not be pooled from multiple vials to create one.
Walgreens Webinar on Vaccine Clinics. Here is an article summarizing the presentation and the Q and A. Members can go here for complete details on the Walgreens COVID-19 Vaccine Program. There is also a recording of the presentation and that can be viewed here.
Member Vaccine Clinic Experiences – on the whole, very positive. Here’s an article summarizing their comments and tips.
Translations of Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet: The FDA has posted translations of the Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine fact sheet for recipients and caregivers, and the fact sheet for healthcare providers in languages including: Arabic, Chinese, French, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. Additional language translations of the fact sheet for recipients and caregivers will be posted to this page as they are received.
Washington Post State by State Tracking of Vaccines. Here is a great article the Washington Post published and will update. It includes a state by state summary of doses shipped, priority populations, and confirmed cases/deaths.
VAERS Vaccine Adverse Effect Reporting update – this page on the VAERS site has information specific to COVID-19.
Transparent information from trusted sources increases receptivity to vaccination. Here is an article from the President of the Black Nurses Association.
Conversation with CVS/Omnicare. This article summarizes today’s conversation with Jim Love, President of CVS/Omnicare, who joined LeadingAge’s Coronavirus Update Call to share the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccine Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care. CVS has set up a one stop shop for resources at this link. It’s your recommended first place to seek answers to questions that come up. CVS guests on the call today also shared an email address for provider enrollment questions -CovidVaccineClinicsLTCF@CVSHealth.com – mainly for providers who have signed up but haven’t heard from CVS yet.
Article on Vaccine discussion with public health expert, Josh Sharfstein. Here’s an article covering the Q&As from that conversation.
Both CVS & Walgreens have updated their websites, forms and FAQs to reflect the following:
Toolkit for HUD Section 202 Providers in the CDC Pharmacy Partnership for Long Term Care Program – LeadingAge has published a toolkit for Section 202 housing providers participating in the Pharmacy Partnership, based on the CDC’s vaccine toolkit for Long-Term Care communities. The toolkit provides sample communications to residents about vaccine clinics, including a sample resident letter and survey, communication tips, and posters and stickers. The toolkit is available here.
Vaccine Allocation Amounts: Today, HHS is publishing the week one allocations provided to states and jurisdictions. The data for the initial week’s allocations are currently available here. Each week on Tuesday, states and jurisdictions will be provided allocations available to ship the following week. States and jurisdictions will order against their allocation that week and direct OWS where shipments of the vaccine should be delivered. These allocations, and more related information, are located on the HHS COVID-19 Vaccines page
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Vaccine Resources from CDC
COVID-19 Vaccines and Severe Allergic Reactions: CDC provides recommendations on what to do if you experience an allergic reaction after getting a COVID-19 vaccination. It also provides recommendations for people who have had allergic reactions to other vaccines and for those with other types of allergies.
CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity. CDC hosted a recent webinar to discus COVID vaccines – allergic reactions, contraindications, and precautions. Slides are here. Presenters shared that updated contraindications and precautions were posted today by CDC. The recording of the session is posted here.
COVID Fireside Chat. Medical officers from CMS, CDC, and AHCA held a recent Fireside Chat to address concerns of healthcare workers about taking the vaccine. An article on the Fireside Chat is here. The recording of the call is here.
Updated CDC guidance - COVID-19 Vaccination Considerations for Persons with Underlying Medical Conditions; at home testing; and funeral guidance. Adults of any age with certain underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for severe illness from the virus that causes COVID-19. mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may be administered to people with underlying medical conditions provided they have not had a severe allergic reaction to any of the ingredients in the vaccine. This information aims to help people in the groups listed below make an informed decision about receiving the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. The updated guidance on at home testing, issued today, is here. The updated funeral guidance is here and includes extensive resources and practical advice.
New Vaccine Information from CDC. The CDC has now posted a variety materials for the general population on COVID-19 vaccines. The materials include “8 Things You Need to Know About the COVID-19 U.S. Vaccination Program,” “When Vaccine Supply is Limited, Who Gets Vaccinated First?,” “What to Expect at Your Appointment to Get Vaccinated for COVID-19,” “Benefits of Getting a COVID-19 Vaccine,” “Different COVID-19 Vaccines,” and “Ensuring the Safety of COVID-19 Vaccines in the United States.”
CDC Information on Pfizer vaccine. CDC released an information quick-sheet on the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine today, available here. You can find info about the vaccine itself, the side effects associated with the vaccine, and demographic information from the clinical trials. This guide also provides a link to how COVID-19 vaccines work.
CDC’s LTCF COVID-19 Vaccine Toolkit can be accessed here.
CDC’s NHSN COVID-19 vaccination module: We have heard from a few members already about a new COVID-19 vaccine module that went live on NHSN last week. This module allows for weekly reporting of COVID-19 vaccination in residents and staff. This is separate from the required vaccine reporting that the pharmacy will be doing, and any adverse event reporting that providers will be required to do. This reporting is optional and reports aggregate data. For this reason, we believe that reporting requires only Level 1 access. Currently, reporting is done through a manual data upload, but a CSV upload feature will be available in the future. You may have received notice last week from NHSN about a webinar on the new module. A second webinar is scheduled for tomorrow. Information on the module and a recording of the webinar will be posted here.
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There will no Coronavirus Update Calls January 18 or 20.
HUD Section 202 Senior Housing and Vaccine Clinic Forum - Join LeadingAge on January 19 to hear from the CDC, HUD, and Section 202 providers about COVID-19 vaccine distribution clinics. Register here to attend.
Contact tracing professionals share tips for housing providers – This week’s LeadingAge Housing Advisory Group call featured researchers from the Hopkins Center for Global Health, who shared contact tracing tips for senior housing providers facing outbreaks at their communities. The slide deck from the call, including risk reduction strategies and contact tracing considerations for housing settings, is available here.
Vaccine hesitancy resource from Institute for Healthcare Improvement. Some key tips are:
- Take your time. Don’t rush conversations and go into them prepared. Also, be prepared to have these conversations over and over again as you work to increase residents’ and staff’s comfort levels.
- Trust is paramount. Identify the individuals who residents and staff trust when receiving information and engage these individuals as conversation leaders. Remember, the conversation leaders may not be “leadership staff” and may not be clinical staff. What matters is identifying who your staff and residents view as a trusted resource and empowering these individuals with the information they need for effective conversation.
- Remember that this is a CONVERSATION. It’s not a lecture or a debate. The purpose is to listen, engage, and support individuals through the decision-making process. Encourage conversation leaders and others to share their own decision-making process.
- Celebrate the fact that we are even having this conversation. It’s a huge step in the right direction when people are willing to explore the topic. And we can all celebrate the fact that we’re even able to have this conversation!
COVID, Vaccine Allocation, and Hesitation through a Bioethics Lens. LeadingAge interviewed Dr. Ruth Faden, professor of Bioethics at the Bloomberg School, Johns Hopkins University. She covered vaccine allocation and vaccine hesitancy among other topics. Here is a link to an article about the discussion.
View event recording: LeadingAge, Johns Hopkins vaccine town hall addresses hesitancy, safety concerns – During this week’s joint vaccine town hall hosted by LeadingAge and Johns Hopkins University, vaccine experts addressed issues of safety, hesitancy, and messaging at assisted living and senior housing communities. The recording is now available here, and a summary of the event’s audience Q&A is available here. See also some material for assisted living and senior housing providers.
Allergic Reactions After Receipt of the First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: CDC released an MMWR on Allergic Reactions Including Anaphylaxis After Receipt of the First Dose of Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in the US. During December 14–23, 2020, monitoring by the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System detected 21 cases of anaphylaxis after administration of a reported 1,893,360 first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine (11.1 cases per million doses); 71% of these occurred within 15 minutes of vaccination. Locations administering COVID-19 vaccines should adhere to CDC guidance for use of COVID-19 vaccines, including screening recipients for contraindications and precautions, having the necessary supplies available to manage anaphylaxis, implementing the recommended post-vaccination observation periods, and immediately treating suspected cases of anaphylaxis with intramuscular injection of epinephrine.
Back again from last night’s update, but tonight with the link. Medicaid in for some challenging times. We spoke today with Jack Rollins, Program Director for Federal Policy at the National Association of Medicaid Directors. He noted that the past year has been very challenging for Medicaid directors, talked about the issues they are facing, and talked about the importance of CARES Act funding. Here’s an article summarizing the interview.
LeadingAge 2021 Policy Action Forum. Health policy expert and former Health PAD at OMB, Dr. Adaeze Enekwechi will join us to provide a primer on how politics and progress are shaped and offering her perspective on what the transitions of power happening in Washington this month mean for our field. You’ll also hear from LeadingAge’s board chair, Carol Silver Elliott, CEO Katie Smith Sloan and our LeadingAge policy experts about our vision for this year’s policy agenda and how we’ll advance the issues that matter most to the future of aging services. This is a free members-only session that is a can’t-miss for providers looking for insight into 2021 policy and the very latest at this critical moment of change in our government. The members only registration link is on our website.
Vaccinating aging services staff who work for providers not included in Pharmacy Partnership. LeadingAge sent a letter to members of the incoming administration’s COVID team, asking them to provide vaccination clinics targeting health care workers who work in home or community based settings (who are not included in the Pharmacy Partnership) and to develop a system for providers who serve people in these settings to be allowed to volunteer or be selected to help distribute the vaccine.
Provider Relief Fund Updates:
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Next round of Phase 3 payments are still scheduled to go out the week of January 25. Funds will continue to be distributed into February as application quality review is completed
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HHS has still not issued Nursing Home Infection Control Incentive Payments for November or December performance yet. November payments are still pending OMB approval but once approved, are already scheduled to go out.
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Reporting Portal to Open but Reporting Deadline to be Delayed: The Reporting Portal is scheduled to open Friday, January 15 and members are encouraged to sign up once it opens. HHS has also said it will issue a formal announcement —hopefully yet this week — that the reporting deadline will be delayed (first report, originally, was to be due Feb 15). In addition, we expect revised guidance and FAQs to also be released in the next few days to align with the new requirements from the Congressional COVID Relief Package.
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Members with TIN validation issue: Nicole has heard from some of you that there are members whose TINs weren’t validated through one or more of the General Distribution application processes - Phase 2 or 3. HHS has told us we will have an opportunity to submit these TINs and provider information to them as part of another validation process. Nicole will set up a process for members to enter their data if they are having TIN validation issues. We will share this collection process once established.
Quality reporting trainings. CMS announced new trainings (that are not time sensitive) that are relevant to skilled nursing facility and Medicare home health members and quality reporting. The trainings are:
Abbott BinaxNOW Training. Check out the updated article here
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DEADLINE JANUARY 15TH!
Share your expertise and knowledge with our members.
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Interested in exhibiting in 2021? Get more details and register today! |
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It's here! Are you registered for an upcoming webinar?
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