Thursday, January 14, 2021
DR EPIC Newsletter
For Arizona SNFs: Emergency Preparedness Infection Control

Attend the N-95 Respirator Fit Testing: A Train the Trainer Program
Register Today!
Disaster Ready Virtual “Stand-up” Session:  COVID-19 and the Nursing Home Incident Command System

Join Disaster Ready Consultants Stan and Gil as they present a brief “stand-up” session on the use of the Nursing Home Incident Command System (NHICS) during your facility's on-going management of COVID-19. For more information on this topic, contact Gil Damiani, Disaster Ready / EPIC consultant at gild@azhca.org or call his mobile number, 480.682.7760. Click here to view the video.

Life Safety Compliance and Infection Control Measures

The CMS Blanket 1135 Waiver will remain in force for the current COVID-19 declared public health emergency. It addresses several areas of Life Safety Code compliance that can be "adjusted" to accommodate a health care facility's continued infection control efforts. Click here to view a summary of the waiver provisions that directly pertain to Life Safety Code compliance. Contact Stan Szpytek, EPIC Consultant at 708.707.6363 or email him at stan@azhca.org with any specific questions about this element of facility operations.
CMS Revises Criteria Regarding Infection Control Surveys

CMS has recently revised the criteria that requires states to conduct Focused Infection Control (FIC) surveys: https://www.cms.gov/files/document/qso-20-31-all-revised.pdf. Since June, 2020 states have performed onsite FIC surveys at nursing homes that met certain criteria. Now, new criteria have been added to trigger these FIC surveys including multiple weeks with new COVID-19 cases, low staffing, concerns related to conducting outbreak testing and evidence of decline in resident’s conditions along with complaints. While not a totally new revision in this memo, there is also a focus on facilities receiving the penalty of a Directed Plan of Correction (DPoC). The goal is to reach sustained compliance with the focus on a thorough root cause analysis for why the deficiency was cited. Here is a helpful resource on root cause analysis: https://www.patientsafety.va.gov/professionals/onthejob/rca.asp.
Learn More about Disinfection in this EPIC Video

Infection control is a major focus for all facilities. To prevent infection, disinfection and the use of disinfectants is critical. It is all about reducing pathogens! In this video, industrial hygiene DR EPIC expert consultant Derrick A. Denis offers insight into this process and the tools you need to have at hand.
If you have further questions, contact the EPIC Helpline at 602-241-4644 or EPIC@azhca.org.

TIPS & FACT SHEETS for Your Use

  • Multiple facilities were cited for failure to disinfect common equipment in between resident use both on regular units and on quarantine isolation units in ADHS surveys in the past year. Learn more about these citations and ways to avoid them in this DR EPIC Tip Topic. 

  • Visitor and staff screening practices in infection control has been one of the top ten deficiencies cited by the ADHS annual, complaint and special infection control surveys conducted from January 2018 through the summer of 2020. This DR Epic Tip Topic offers basic information on deficiency examples, potential corrective actions and preventive measures a facility can take to avoid future deficiencies. Additional resources are also provided. Check it out here. 

  • Asbestos refers to a group of mineral fibers that are virtually impossible to destroy with heat or chemicals. Asbestos was used heavily in residential and commercial buildings prior to the 1980s and is still used (although with a reduced frequency) in a variety of modern materials. Asbestos is not a banned substance for use in the United States! Learn more about this important safety issue in this DR EPIC Fact Sheet.
DR EPIC Industrial Hygiene Audits to be Conducted

As part of our DR EPIC grant, industrial hygienist Derrick A. Denis of Clark, Seif, Clark, Inc. will be conducting complementary audits of a sample of SNFs in the months ahead. This will be a great opportunity for the DR EPIC team to learn more about trends, gaps in facility sanitation, and best practices in the field. We may not be able provide complementary audits for all facilities that state an interest, but welcome volunteers to add to the list. Contact DR EPIC Consultant Stan Szpytek for more information or to add your name to the list- stan@azhca.org.
DR EPIC Helpline
Question of the Week
All our facility staff tested negative for COVID-19 on Tuesday. Today, I received an email from one of our Nurse Practitioners that he is now positive but asymptomatic. He was in the facility yesterday and on Friday seeing residents and around my staff. Do I need to put the facility in quarantine and start testing residents even though he is not our employee?
 
ANSWER:
If the staff worked in the facility 2 days prior to the onset of symptoms this will be considered an exposure and facility will be in OB (outbreak) status . If the staff was asymptomatic and worked in the facility in the 2 days prior to the test date- this will also be considered exposure and OB status.
___________________________

Response provided Dr. Siru Prasai from Maricopa County

Check out our DR EPIC Helpline!
To submit questions, email the DR EPIC online Help Center at EPIC@azhca.org. You can also call the DR EPIC phone Helpline at 602-241-4644 and we will assist you.

Don’t forget to utilize our EPIC website for valuable infection prevention resources! Go to: EPIC.DisasterReadyaz.org to explore these tools.
Questions? Contact EPIC@azhca.org |This program is funded by ADHS HPP
The Disaster Ready Emergency Preparedness Infection Control (DR EPIC) program provides education and technical assistance for skilled nursing providers throughout the state. Individual providers will need to exercise their independent discretion in how to apply this information and technical assistance to the unique operation of each facility. For that reason, a facility’s of its professional judgment and due diligence in utilizing the program for infection control and risk management practices is solely within the facility’s control for which it is entirely responsible. 
Copyright 2021.