VHCA-VCAL | OSHA ETS Temporary Standards Compliance, Updated Emergency Preparedness Exercise Exemption, NHSN Updated Reporting Modules

Greetings!

This message includes:

information about complying with OSHA's ETS standards by July 6;
emergency preparedness exercise exemption update; and
information about NHSN updated reporting modules effective July 8.

Sincerely,

April Payne, MBA, LNHA

Chief Quality & Regulatory Affairs Officer

Executive Director of VCAL

Virginia Health Care Association | Virginia Center for Assisted Living

Comply with OSHA Emergency Temporary Standards

by July 6

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has released Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) to address exposure to COVID-19 to workers in health care settings. These standards apply to skilled nursing facilities, assisted living communities, and Intermediate Care Facilities for the Developmentally Disabled (ID/DD).

Employers must comply with most of these standards by July 6, 2021. There are exceptions to the sections on physical barriers, ventilation, and training, which must comply by July 21, 2021.

In addition, a webinar reviewing the ETS and the implications for AHCA/NCAL members is available.

Many of these ETS standards are already required under CDC, CMS, or other public health guidance. AHCA/NCAL recommends that providers start by:

Identifying a COVID-19 site safety coordinator and downloading the COVID-19 plan template.
Providers should use OSHA’s COVID-19 Healthcare Worksite Checklist & Employee Job Hazard Analysis to identify what is already in place in their facility and plan and prioritize implementing what is not.

OSHA has many resources on their ETS website to help employers meet these standards.

OSHA also offers an On-Site Consultation Program. This free and confidential consultation program provides occupational safety and health services to small- and medium-sized businesses. Consultation services are separate from enforcement and do not result in penalties or citations. Resources are also available on the AHCA/NCAL website.

AHCA/NCAL encourages providers to document efforts of implementation and monitoring. This can be shared with an OSHA inspector if an onsite visit occurs to show what is in place, what’s in progress, and the overall good faith efforts to meet the standards. For additional assistance, providers check out the OSHA ETS FAQs .

CMS Updates Emergency Preparedness

Exercise Exemption

CMS issued an updated memo (QSO-20-41-ALL) last week that provides new guidance around when an inpatient provider may be exempted from its next required full-scale exercise. The memo indicates that inpatient providers that are still operating under “disaster/emergency conditions during the Public Health Emergency” are exempt from their next full-scale exercise in the facility’s 12-month exercise cycle.

This exemption assumes the facility is still operating under its “activated emergency plan.” If the facility has resumed normal operations, the exemption does not apply. Where the exemption is applicable, the guidance clarifies that a second exercise of choice is still required annually.

NHSN to Update Reporting Modules on July 8

Beginning July 8, the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) will make multiple updates and modifications to reporting modules. NHSN users should have received an email notification from NHSN outlining the changes to the system.

Modules included in the updates are:

Point of Care (POC) Test Reporting Tool – adding POC devices to dropdown list
Resident Impact and Facility Capacity Pathway – Enhancements to “Vaccination Status of Resident with a Newly Confirmed COVID-19 Viral Test Result” section
Ventilator Capacity and Supplies Pathway – removing this module
Therapeutics Pathway – adding new therapeutic and removing outdated therapeutic
COVID-19 Vaccination Data Modules – including user data quality alert screen

The CDC will host a webinar to provide information about these modifications on Thursday, July 8, and Monday, July 12, 2021 from 1:00 – 2:00 PM EST. Register for either date in advance.