COVID-19 news and updates

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States are working very hard to speed up COVID-19 vaccination rates.  Here are some state plans and dashboards you may want to check out and bookmark for future reference: Texas COVID-19 Vaccination Information COVID-19 Vaccination in Texas dashboard  Nebraska Nebraska COVID-19 Vaccination dashboard.  On this same dashboard, you can access … Read More

CMS revises Infection Control surveys – adds 5 triggers

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On January 4, 2021, CMS issued a revised QSO-20-31-All … Revised COVID-19 Survey Activities, CARES Act Funding, Enhanced Enforcement for Infection Control deficiencies, and Quality Improvement Activities in Nursing Homes. The Memorandum Summary shows these overall updates (note the verbiage in red) to this now 29-page QSO: The updates are identified … Read More

CMS updates COVID-19 county positivity data

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CMS has posted updated county positivity data with a date of January 4, 2021.  Remember that the frequency of your LTC facility’s testing of staff and residents depends on your county positivity.  Information about these requirements and guidelines can be found here.  Archived past county positivity data is found here.

CMS unveils 2020 list of quality and efficiency measures under consideration

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On December 22, 2020, CMS unveiled its list of quality and efficiency measures under consideration – a precursor or first step in the pre-rulemaking process.  In that Press Release, CMS revealed the 2020 list, which includes a number of new measures, as well as several updates to modernize or replace … Read More

ICD-10-CM official guidelines for coding and reporting – FY2021 (Updated January 1, 2021)

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“The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), two departments within the U.S. Federal Government’s Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) provide the following guidelines for coding and reporting using the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-10-CM). These guidelines should … Read More