VHCA-VCAL | New Hospital Discharge Guidance, Info on POC Antigen Testing Devices, & COVID Webinars

Greetings!

This message includes:

new guidance from VDH on hospital discharges;
information on the point-of-care antigen testing devices being sent to more Virginia nursing facilities; and
details on a webinar series on best practices that starts today.

Sincerely,

April Payne, MBA, LNHA

Vice President of Quality Improvement | Director of VCAL

Virginia Health Care Association | Virginia Center for Assisted Living

VDH Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients Being Discharged to an LTC Facility during the COVID-19 Pandemic

VDH, in alignment with CDC Guidance for Responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nursing Homes, has created a simplified flow chart to inform discharge planning between hospitals and long-term care facilities. VDH notes that implementation of these recommendations will be influenced by many factors, including testing resource availability, community transmission rates, and clinical decision making.

This guidance from VDH replaces the documents VHCA and the other long term care and hospital associations developed this spring.

The VDH Recommendations for Hospitalized Patients Being Discharged to a Long-Term Care Facility During the COVID-19 Pandemic is posted on the VDH Long-Term Care Task Force webpage.

More POC Antigen Testing Devices Sent to Virginia

The latest update to the list of nursing facilities being sent a point-of-care (POC) antigen testing device and test kit by CMS includes over 230 Virginia facilities. Nursing facilities will receive one of two testing devices, either the Quidel Sofia 2 or the BD Veritor System. Be on the lookout on the devices—we have heard they are coming in simply marked boxes addressed only to the facility name.

Download this file (a zipped xlsx file) to see the full list of facilities being sent devices. You should also review these CMS Frequently Asked Questions: COVID-19 Testing at Skilled Nursing Facilities/Nursing Homes. These resources are also posted on the CMS COVID-19 Nursing Home Data webpage.

AHCA/NCAL has put together a summary of important steps providers must take in preparing to use these testing devices. Nursing facilities should also review the training materials and information about the devices from Quidel and BD.

Visit the Quidel "Together Again" webpage for information on how to set up the device, conduct training, and reorder tests.
BD is offering training services through its Learning Management System platform to all BD Veritor System customers at no additional cost. The e-learning training platform is available online. Additional training videos can be found on the BD Veritor website. BD is also hosting a webinar on Wednesday, August 26 at 3:00 pm. Click here to register.

We are aware that the antigen testing kits are in very high demand nationwide. We will keep you updated on any news we hear about reordering testing kits.

Additional Resources

VDH Interim Point-of-Care Antigen Testing Recommendations for Nursing Homes (August 7, 2020)
CDC Interim Guidance for Rapid Antigen Testing for SARS-CoV-2
AHCA/NCAL Summary of CDC Interim Guidance for Rapid Antigen Testing (August 20, 2020)

National Webinars on Nursing Home

Best Practices Start Today

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is supporting the national ECHO Project and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to start a series of webinars on best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Project ECHO is mobilizing to train, mentor, and support nursing home staff on infection prevention and control.

These free sessions will devote time to hearing from participants and answering questions. They will then shift into regional small groups of nursing homes to participate in weekly action learning networks.

Learn more and register for the three initial sessions.

Tuesday, August 25 | 1:30 pm

Optimizing Clinical Care in the Time of COVID in Skilled Nursing Home Facilities

Wednesday, August 26 | 1:30 pm

The Latest News on Testing, Cohorting, and Critical Infection Prevention Strategies

Wednesday, September 2 | 1:30 pm

Telemedicine in the Time of COVID